Nesting Hawk Pair

Over the past six years, from February to July, I have watched a breeding pair of red tailed hawks raise their young in a nest along I-96. I noticed the nest one day in late winter as I drove to work and over the years, I have been fascinated with the pair.

In late winter, the hawks will bring additional 'new' material to the nest, which is at the top of a 70 foot tree. Starting in early March, the female roosts on the nest continuously with the male bringing her food. By late April, she has started to sit higher in the nest, indicating the chick has grown and there is less space for her. Soon, on warm days, both parents leave the nest in search of food and if I'm lucky, I catch a glimpse of them feeding the fledgling. June is the month of the most activity as the young hawk is ravenous 24/7 and the parents can barely keep up with supplying breakfast, lunch and dinner. July will find the young hawk venturing further and further from the nest and eventually flying. It's a beautiful sight to see!

This year in March, on my way home from work, I noticed a hawk had been hit by a car and it's body lay along side the road. My heart plummeted and over the next week, I made more trips than I will admit to see if there was a hawk in the nest. Very seldom will a hatch survive without both parents, especially if the weather is cold. The weather was terrible with early spring snow and below freezing temperature. My mood matched the weather and I began to wonder if it was the last I would see of my beloved pair.

Ten days later as I drove to work and glanced up, not expecting to see anything, I was amazed to see a small head just above the rim of the nest and the male hawk gliding in with a small rodent in his talons. :-)

I'm happy to say, the pair is fine. The female is now sitting slightly higher in the nest and my weekend plans include a trip with my telescope to enjoy my pair once again!