Yesterday (Sat 3/10) afternoon, while doing invasive plant management work at
Long Branch Nature Center in the flood plain area across the stream from the
hospital sledding hill and the salamander pond, I kept hearing calls that
reminded me somewhat of Pileated WP. Couldn't find the bird. Eventually, I
spotted
a hawk up in the tree canopy and started watching and taking pictures. While
I observed, a second hawk flew up and engaged in a maneuver that I can best
describe as what looked like a mounting-type move. Then the first hawk flew off
to a nearby tree and the second hawk began a long series of odd head-ducking
movements that went on for a long time. I did not have my binoculars and wasn't
sure of what I had seen, including IDs.
After getting home, reviewing zoomed digital images, and listening to Coopers
calls, I believe what I saw was:
Hawk 1 was an adult male Coopers. Hawk 2 was a 1st-year female Coopers
(offspring?). Hawk 2 moved in and took posession of prey and devoured it - the
head
movements were feeding moves.
I heard both the "kak-kak-kak" and the "whaa" calls. Diagnostics I am relying
on include head shapes, tail markings, breast streaking, and relative sizes.
A few of my photos can be viewed at:
_http://flickr.com/photos/7283445@N07/417050454/_ ;
(http://flickr.com/photos/7283445@N07/417050454/)
They aren't great - zoomed handheld, challenging lighting, etc. but if viewed
in full size they give an idea. I especially like the "red meat" one. Also, I
welcome any feedback on the behavior I saw and/or my IDs. Cheers,
Steve Young
Arlington
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