Study Of Some Red-tailed Hawks

During the past couple of years, the two Raptors that I get to see most often in Bucks and Montgomery Counties are the Vultures and Red-tailed Hawks. There have been three different adult Red-tails that frequent the same tree about a hundred yards behind my house. I have actually been able to photograph them on and off on my way to work in the mornings since 2006. I've also noticed that we see Red-tails all year round yet there have been only a few of the regulars that stay with us during the summer months.

I photographed the juvenile Red-tail (the first five images) this morning and the next adult Red-tailed Hawk labeled AA on the day before Christmas. In any event, I have seen eleven different Red-tailed Hawks in the past three days here in Harleysville, PA.

With that said, I am truly amazed at the great color variation among the eastern birds. I've noticed that the juveniles often have yellow eyes and the more mature birds, brown. But I have also seen both pale and darker Red-tail individuals. All of the birds in this study were photographed locally with the exception of the Harlan's (labeled Q-Red-tailedHawkHarlan's.) This particular bird was really dark and I saw it at the Rio Bosque Wetlands in El Paso, Texas in March of 2008.

 These beautiful Red-tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) were photographed in Harleysville, PA last week.

                                                                                                                                               It is our largest buteo and can often be seen perching along roadsides and open fields.
                                                                                                                It hunts mostly mammals from a perch or by kiting and is found all over North America.

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© Howard B. Eskin 2008                    Please click here to email suggestions or comments to hbeskin@voicenet.com