Description

I watched a mated pair of Red Tail Hawks near my home throughout their courtship, nest building, and hunting to provide food for their babies. These birds were under serious attack from Red-winged Blackbirds. The birds were just defending their nests, too, but the attacks soon became relentless! The male Red Tail Hawk had at least 6 Red-winged Blackbirds chasing him when ever I watched him hunting for food. They would even jump on him, and pull out his feathers. I found one of the feathers after this photo was taken! As soon as the babies were out of the nest, the hawks no longer came into the fields where they were being attacked.

Category

Eyewitness

Species

• Red-tailed Hawk
• Red-winged Blackbird