Juvenile Broad-winged Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk chicks spend their first five or six weeks in the nest being fed small mammals, toads, nestling birds and a variety of invertebrates by their mother. They then fledge, but for the next two weeks these young birds continue to use the nest as a feeding (food is still being provided for them) and roosting site. At about seven weeks of age they begin capturing their own prey, and remain on their parents’ territory for the next month or two — just enough time to learn the ropes before migrating south for the winter, which they are doing right now (peak migration is mid-September).
Hi, mary, I enjoy your daily posts very much. Thank you! Any idea what the light colored fuzzy caterpillars are that we see so many of this year? I don’t recall seeing them in the past. You may have covered this and I missed it. Thanks Tony Brainerd
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September 14, 2012 at 1:17 pm
Hi Tony, Thanks for your kind words. Could it be the Hickory Tussock Moth caterpillar you’re referring to? (http://naturallycuriouswithmaryholland.wordpress.com/2012/09/03/hickory-tussock-moth/)
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September 14, 2012 at 1:34 pm
Stunning!
September 14, 2012 at 1:32 pm
Nice photo. I am hoping they migrate soon, having lost a chicken to one the other day.
September 14, 2012 at 2:01 pm
We have these also, we have Red-Tailed Hawks, but they have a different call. So when I was hearing the sounds of this Hawk I was getting a little crazy trying to figure out what I was hearing. Thanks to the internet and a lot of bird sites, I was able to identify this lovely hawk by it’s unusual cry!
September 21, 2012 at 3:08 pm
Good for you! Broadwings do have a very distinctive call, you’re right! I’ve been fooled by a bluejay imitating it more than one time!
September 21, 2012 at 9:04 pm