FOAM LAKE
BIRDING
No. 171
After being
in Calgary for
a week I had hoped to return home to nicer spring-like weather. Not so.
However, on our way home we took
a break in Medicine Hat
and the temperature there was 16C.
Nice. It was just east of there that
we saw our first Red Tailed Hawk of the season but with the amount of snow that
we have here it will still be awhile before one is seen locally.
The Red
Tailed is the most common and widespread hawk in all of North America including
much of Mexico.
In Canada it is found everywhere as a
summer resident except on the Tundra. It
is not highly migratory leaving most of Canada for the central US in the
winter. In most of the US and Mexico
it is a year round resident migrating south from the north central states and a
north from southern Mexico.
The Red
Tailed Hawk is a powerful bird that can take prey the size of a half grown
skunk or rabbit but prefers the ubiquitous Richardson's Ground Squirrel
(gopher). I have actually seen them take
both rabbits and gophers. It is quite an
experience. Once a hawk zeroes in on a
small animal caught out in the open lunch quickly follows. Escape is difficult.
Save for
the eagles the Red Tailed along with the Swainson's and Northern Harrier (formerly,
Marsh Hawk) is one of the largest hawks in our area. Because the Red Tailed is spread out over
such a large area it is only natural that there would be considerable colour
variations. In fact the Red Tailed
varies from very light to very dark and with everything in between. Formerly the pale race was known as a
distinct species called Krider's Hawk and the dark race was known as Harlan's
Hawk and the two races are still referred to as such. However, the most common form is a brownish bird with
light under parts sporting a dark spotted breast band. Except for the Kriders and Harlans forms (and
juveniles) all Red Tailed Hawks have rusty red tails when viewed from the top. Males and females are the same. It should be noted that the Swainson's Hawk
also has light and commonly dark colour phases so care must be exercised when
identifying dark and light hawks. Locally,
a large hawk sitting on a power pole is probably the Red Tailed.
Red Tails
nest in trees and preferably in tall mature Aspens near water. The nest is a large ungainly affair made of
sticks built at least five metres high
and is usually reused from year to year.
Occasionally Great Horned Owls will take a nest for themselves forcing
the hawks to build a new one elsewhere. Between
one to three young are usually reared annually.
This week's
picture was taken two years ago near Coronach,
SK. where there were plenty of
gophers and a corresponding number of hawks to prey on them. The dark breast band is clearly visible.
Finally, I
have had two further reports of Boreal Owls in town. One apparently spent most of the winter in
one particular yard right in town; the other was found dead in a garage. I do not know if this represents three
different birds or only one very friendly bird flying around visiting different
yards. I hope it is the former because I
hate to think that the dead one was the only one.
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