Red-Shouldered Hawk Feather

I have been captivated by the activities of the red-shouldered hawks that live nearby. Only recently have I tried to capture them on video tape. They must have a nest nearby near the tall pines that grace the backyard natural area of my neighbors.

This past week, I captured two videos of the red-shouldered hawk as it landed on the light posts in our cul-de-sac.

Later, in the afternoon, as I walked to my curb to get the mail, I spied a bright red-orange-brown colored feather on my driveway.

In the past, I have seen many feathers in my grass and driveway. Usually, they were feathers from the morning doves or mockingbirds. This was the first time that I realized the feather was of a different bird.

I brought this feather inside to study. It surely didn't look it came from a "regular" bird.

What other bird could this feather have come from? I was thinking maybe the female cardinal bird? But, surely this feather is too big?

You can see both sides of the feather in my hand. Do you think it is a feather from the red-shouldered hawk?

The feather, with quill, measures 3 inches in total length and 3/4 inches at the widest part of the feather. The quill is approximately 3/4 inches long which gives a 2-1/4 inch length to the feather portion.

Learning more about the red-shouldered hawk, the National Geographic reference shows the state of Florida as a year-round range. And, that reference shows the comparison photos of adult and juvenile hawks. In those photos, the adult hawks have the coloring more like this feather.

I believe I want to next find feathers from the red-shouldered hawk's tail. In the past, I have found blackish-brown and white feathers in my front yard, but I always assumed those were from the mockingbirds. Now, I'm not so sure. It seems I should start to collect all these feathers I have been finding! Or, at the very least, start photographing all of them.

It was early in the afternoon when I arrived home to see the red-shouldered hawk hanging around our cul-de-sac. I first heard it; and used to think I was listening to seagulls by the sound. As I watched the hawk, it flew to one light post in the cul-de-sac and then to another. It was definitely keeping its eyes on some prey. It was later that day that I found the feather.

One evening as my online work was winding up, I came to my Florida Room to look out at the rain. As I cast my eyes across the back yard, I spotted the red-shouldered hawk on the branch in the bent tree out back. I never realized that the hawk seemed to enjoy the rain. Once I uploaded my two hawk videos, I found other such videos on YouTube. So, I would conclude that the red-shouldered hawks seem to not mind the rain.

Red-Shouldered Hawk in Water Oak Tree

In my back yard, I used to have a number of large water oak trees. I used the see the red-shouldered hawks quite often in the three large multiple water oaks that were removed. This photo of the hawk shows the wild bird in the one remaining water oak at the back of my property. It is in that tree that I have seen the two hawks mating.

Want to know more about the red-shouldered hawk? Well, I do! So, I was searching on Amazon to see what is available. I saw a number of promotional items which tells me I need to improve my hawk photography so that I can list some items.

Hawks at a Distance: Identification of Migrant Raptors - Jerry Liguori, a leading expert on North American raptors, factors in new information and approaches for identifying twenty-nine species of raptor in various lighting situations and settings.

The field guide's nineteen full-color portraits, 558 color photos, and 896 black-and-white images portray shapes and plumages for each species from all angles.

For me, I'd be interested also in all aspects of in-flight hawk identification, including the flight style and behavior. I'd want to understand more about the hawks that I continue to see in my back and front yard throughout the year. They are always here! A lot of other birds seem to come and go, but not the red-shouldered hawks!

Identifying Birds of North America

Last night on our way to dinner at the SchnitzelHaus, we stopped at Borders to pick up a Southern Spain travel book, Insight Guides Southern Spain: Costa Del Sol, Andalucia. Well, we bought the travel book, but stopped at the bargain books display. Hubby began browsing Smithsonian Birds of North America: Life Histories of More Than 930 Species by Fred J. Alsop. I picked up another copy of the five pound, 1000+ page book and began paging through the woodpeckers.

We've been trying to identify a particular bird that has been arriving in pairs to eat the berries at the very tops of the trees out back. Usually this bird will arrive before, after, or sometimes with the pileated woodpeckers. It was thought the bird might be the Downy Woodpecker, but hubby is now convinced that he saw a Northern Flicker, which apparently is a common bird! According to the information online, this bird likes to eat ants. Hmmm, the ones we see like to eat berries -- so can this be the same bird?

This comprehensive reference includes full-page profiles of more than 930 species - all the birds known to breed in the United States or Canada, as well as regular visitors and vagrants to the continent. Birds of North America provides essential identification tips on each species, together with fascinating information on feeding and behavior, breeding, and nesting habits.

The author, Frederick Joseph Alsop, III Ph.D. is an ornithologist and a professor of biological sciences at East Tennessee State University. He received his doctorate in zoology from the University of Tennessee, and specializes in the ecology, distribution, life history, and taxonomy of birds. An avid field biologist and birder, he has identified more than 3,200 species of birds worldwide.

I love bird-watching and have had the opportunity to photograph many a species of birds not only in the United States, but in Costa Rica and Europe. Several years ago, my duck photograph took first prize in a FujiFilm photo competition. I have that picture framed and hanging in my office at work. A couple of fun birds that I have written about are the Puffin -- A Seabird Clown, the Blue-footed Booby -- A Seabird Clown, and lastly, the Turkey Vulture -- A Buzzard which happens to be one bird that doesn't get enough love!