Check out this sweet immature Red-shouldered Hawk I found this past weekend along Mid Pines Rd. in Raleigh, NC.
Allowing me to walk within 30ft of his position, this bird was remarkably relaxed, calmly preening and occasionally watching the ground below for prey.
At one point, the hawk dropped down into the grass to catch an insect and then returned to it’s perch to finish it’s snack.
Normally it’s difficult to get up close to a raptor so it was neat to be able to encounter one at this range!
We spent about 30 mins eyeballing one another before something rustling in the woods caught the hawks attention and it flew off to investigate.
So cool!
At this age, Red-shouldered Hawks look similar to immature Red-tailed Hawks. When I first saw this bird from across the field, I wasn’t sure exactly which species this was.
It wasn’t until I drew closer that I was able to figure it out.
Juvenile Red-tails are beefier birds with larger beaks and thicker legs than the Red-shouldered.
In addition Red-tailed Hawks have mostly white or light buff colored breasts with a spotting pattern running down its belly and sides.
Juvenile Red-shouldered like this one show spots on their breasts.
Those observations aside, one of the best ways to ID a Red-shouldered Hawk is by that pale, buff colored, crescent-shaped mark on the outer edge of it’s primary feathers at the top of it’s wing (shown in the above photo) , which is shown clearly in the last photo of the hawk landing on the post. This mark can also look like a translucent crescent when viewed from below and backlit from the sun above.
Red-shouldered Hawks are a year round resident of North Carolina may be found in all 100 of counties from the mountains to the coast.
Their preferred habitats include bottomland forests, swamps and beaver ponds where they have access to their favorite food of amphibians, insects and reptiles. That being said, Red-shouldered’s also may be spotted hunting in the mid and lower canopies of deciduous forests near lakes and rivers.
Seeing this one perched on a fence post out in the open was pretty neat!
@sally_siko of @birdwatching_nc on my mighty mirrorless monster, the @canonusa #R5