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Home > Blogs > Birds and Butterflies > Archives > 2009 > September > 29 > Entry
For Young Raptors Most Trying Months Are Ahead
The thing about going out into nature is you never know what you are going to see. Sometimes, nothing presents itself. Other times, you are pleasantly surprised. That is one of the great joys of the outdoors.
This past Tuesday, I was with a group of birders at Taylorsville MetroPark, along the Great Miami River just south of the dam. As we stood observing the scenery a hawk, previously undetected by us, flew out of a nearby tree. However, it did not travel far, settling on a fallen log on the far side of the river. Its behavior was suspect and when the bird turned around our suspicious were confirmed. This was an immature red-tailed hawk, this spring’s nestling still sporting white and brown stripped tail feathers. The characteristic reddish-brown tail feathers do not grow in until the bird’s second year.
Young raptors are notoriously naive and surprisingly unalarmed by humans. As they go about the business of learning to fly and hunt, juvenile birds of prey may be witnessed engaged in distinctly “unhawk-like” behavior such as sitting on the ground or dangling precariously from a tree branch. It is a difficult time of transition, and not surprisingly many do not survive their first winter. Hunting is hard, and juvenile red-tails are sometimes forced to feed upon what they can find. This may lead to young birds being struck by cars as they forage along the roadside.
Living in a modern society, we have become increasingly distanced from the natural world and the sometimes harsh realities that can be found there. While it is true that fall is the onset of nature’s greatest trial there is much beauty and much wisdom to be found.
Tuesday Morning Adult Nature Walks will take place every Tuesday in October at Englewood MetroPark. Please visit MetroParks.org for more information.
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