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I did an article and photo shoot on Red-tail baby hawks last
spring, but these were so cute I just had to show this years baby chicks. The nest I found is down on the 140
Highway about halfway between Mariposa and Merced.
The photos were taken on May 11th, 15th, 23rd and June 6th. The photos give you an idea how fast they grow and change.
On May 11th The chicks were white balls of downy feathers with what
seemed like huge eyes in proportion to their bodies.
Four days later on May 15th they were bigger, but were still balls
of white feathers. At first I could only see two chicks and I was afraid
that maybe one had died. I had read that sometimes the mother and
father cannot feed three chicks and will let one die. Just as
I was about to leave the third chick popped his head up.
On May 23rd they had grown a lot. Their wing feathers were formed
and they were even practicing flapping their wings. They were really beginning to look like hawks.
Three days later on May 26th not too much change.
June 6th, they had lost most of their white feathers and were as
big as the parents. The mother flew overhead trying to get them to fly.
I waited for an hour camera posed, but the little chick standing on
the edge didn't fly.
The red-tail hawk mates for life. They return to the same nest
year after year. They start getting it ready in early spring.
Facts from Desert USA
http://desertusa.net/aug96/du_hawk.html
The female usually lays 2 to 3
dull-white to bluish-white eggs that are marked with a variety of irregular reddish spots and splotches.
Incubation takes 28-32 days and is maintained almost entirely by the female. During this period the male hunts
for both of them, bringing her food to the nest.
When hatched, the young are covered with white down. They grow slowly and require much food, which keeps both parents busy. They remain in the nest for up to 48 days. During the last 10 days or so the young, which now appear as large as the parent birds, practice flapping their wings and balancing in the wind on the edge of the nest, preparing for the days when they will launch themselves into the air. The young fledge at about 45 days. Red-tails typically do not begin breeding until their third year.
Linda Gast |
