A Baby Hawk's First Flight From The Nest

This baby red-tailed hawk seems to be looking to his soaring mother for help out of this predicament.  (Photo by Don Comis)

I got rewarded for taking another walk this morning by an encounter with a red-tailed hawk newly emerged from its nest.

I first heard its mother's tell-tale descending cry and found her in a tree, being harassed by jays.  She soared in the air a lot as I snapped photos.

Later I wondered what this large animal was on the ground farther away, closer to where I know there is a red-tailed hawk's nest.  I put my binoculars on it and saw it was a baby hawk.

As I approached, the baby went up into a tree.  Good move.   I advanced two steps, took a photo, two more steps, etc.  But soon I realized this baby wasn't going to leave the tree, so I got my closest shots yet of a hawk.  Finally I was getting too close to get the whole bird in the frame--and I worried about harassing the baby and mother any more.  The mother was calling and passing over the tree where her baby was.

It's just a reminder that this is the season of birth and new life--and that it pays to go out for a walk!

Another highlight on my walk today was seeing a red-headed woodpecker.  This one comes to my feeders and is a better view than what I got in the woods today.  They're not that common, although I see them more in Howard, Ohio, than I did in Greenbelt, Maryland.  But I saw my first one in Greenbelt, on a telephone pole in the city, which gave me an unobstructed view!