Hawks, The Beginning

Last year on Palm Sunday weekend hawks, red-tailed hawks, selected the pine tree that stands in front of the rectory to build a nest. Since I live beside the rectory I had a "bird's eye view" of their activities.

As I watched, I read up on hawks so that I would know more about my new neighbors. The bigger hawk is the female. I called her Ruby. This picture shows Ruby in May last year. She is on a branch a little above and beside her nest.

I don't really have a reliable picture of Red, the tercel (male hawk), but he was around. He brought food to Ruby and the chicks. Last year was a banner year for hawks. There had been an increase in hawk prey in recent years. There were an abundance of squirrels and rabbits. The bird population was pretty rich as well.

The factors that may have contributed to Ruby and Red's nest location were the building of the new church which provided a perch for big birds, and our backyard birdfeeder which kept the birds and squirrels fat and sassy. There was also some other construction in the area which may have driven some of the prey animals out into new and unprotected territory.

I became the quintessential nosy neighbor with binoculars and digital camera. I became Mrs. Cravetts to the hawks' Samantha and Darren. The hawks were my diversion.