Hi Everybody!!
Hey, Hey, Hey! I got "The Shot",Again!
Above is Rambo and Tom-A-Hawk's first encounter 3 years ago. Rambo was hatched in a Tree above Kates Cabin. I took photos of her babyhood until she flew into adulthood. We are friends to this day. Again, I was blessed to get these shots of the Happy Couple this Spring (February 2013).
********I want to Thank All of You for stopping by the Blog from time to time to see what's up with my birds! Some of You have been with me for 3 years of the mini-nature class! (Big Hugs).
Who Knew Nature would become Unnatural? I am not dealing with this man made Nature very well. I just want my blue skies and clean air back. The chemicals are getting to me, my birds,and my trees. Join me in Prayer for All People of Earth. Please know that
God knows who is ending the lives of our little children. You must believe HE will fix this. Big Changes are coming.
For Tonight, let's just return to Nature and see the beauty of these Birds. They are My Angels! Big Love to Everybody!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-shouldered_Hawk

Red-shouldered Hawk

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Red-shouldered Hawk

Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)^[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Falconiformes (or Accipitriformes, q.v.)
Family:	Accipitridae
Subfamily:	Buteoninae
Genus:	Buteo
Species:	B. lineatus
Binomial name
*Buteo lineatus* (Gmelin, 1788)

Description

Males are 38 to 58 centimetres (15 to 23 in) long and weigh on average 550 g (1.2 lb). Females are slightly larger at 47 to 61 cm (19 to 24 in) in length and a mean weight of 700 g (1.5 lb). The wingspan can range from 90 to 127 cm (35 to 50 in).^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5] Adult birds can vary in mass from 460 to 930 g (1.0 to 2.1 lb). Among standard measurements, the wing bone is 28–35 cm (11–14 in) long, the tail is 16–24 cm (6.3–9.4 in) long and the tarsus is 7.5–9 cm (3.0–3.5 in).^[6] Adults have brownish heads, reddish chests, and pale bellies with reddish bars. Their tails, which are quite long by Buteostandards, are marked with narrow white bars. Red "shoulders" are visible when the birds are perched. These hawks' upper parts are dark with pale spots and they have long yellow legs. Western birds may appear more red, while Florida birds are generally paler. The wings of adults are more heavily barred on the upper side. Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawks are most likely to be confused with juvenile Broad-winged Hawks, but can be distinguished by their long tails, crescent-like wing markings, and a more flapping, Accipiter-like flight style. In direct comparsion, it is typically larger and longer proportioned than the Broad-wing, though is slightly smaller and more slender than most other common North American Buteos. This bird is sometimes also confused with the widespread Red-tailed Hawk. That species is larger and bulkier, with more even-sized, broad wings and is paler underneath, with a reddish tail often apparent. The Red-tail is also more likely to soar steadily, with wings in a slight dihedral.

Breeding

The breeding habitats of the Red-shouldered Hawk are deciduous and mixed wooded areas, often near water. Like almost all raptors, the Red-shouldered Hawk is monogamous and territorial. While courting or defending territories, the distinctive, screaming kee-aah call (usually repeated three to four times) of this bird is heard. Courtship displays occur on the breeding grounds, and involve soaring together in broad circles while calling, or soaring and diving toward one another. Males may also perform the "sky-dance" by soaring high in the air, and then making a series of steep dives, each followed by a wide spiral and rapid ascent. These courtship flights usually occur in late morning and early afternoon.

Red-shouldered Hawks' mating season is between April and July, with activity usually peaking between April and mid-June. The breeding pair builds a stick nest (also sometimes including shredded bark, leaves and green sprigs) in a major fork of a large tree. They often use the same nest year after year, refurbishing it annually with sticks in the spring. The clutch size is typically three to four eggs. The blotchy-marked eggs, often brown to lavender in color, measure on average 54.5 mm × 43 mm (2.15 in × 1.7 in). The incubation period can range from 28 to 33 days. Hatching is asynchronous, with the first chick hatching up to a week before the last. The hatchlings, which weigh 35 g (1.2 oz) at first, are brooded almost constantly by the female for up to 40 days. The male more often captures food but will also incubate and brood occasionally. The young leave the nest at about six weeks of age, but remain dependent on the parents until they are 17 to 19 weeks old. They may continue to roost near the nest site until the following breeding season. Breeding maturity is usually attained at 1 or 2 years of age.

Although they have lived as long as within a month of 20 years old, few live half that long and only around half survive their first year. Early mortality can be due to natural causes, relating to harsh weather conditions, or more often starvation. Humans, unintentionally or intentionally are a threat to Red-shouldered Hawks, including hunting, collision with electric wires, road accidents and logging. A further common cause of mortality is natural predation. Raccoons, martens, fishers and large arboreal snakes can predate eggs, hatchlings, fledgings and occasionally incubating and brooding adults. Non-nesting adults, being a fairly large and powerful predator, have fewer natural predators, but (both during and after the breeding season) they may be predated by Great Horned Owls, Red-tailed Hawks, Barred Owls, Peregrine Falcons, Prairie Falcons, and Bald and Golden Eagles. Many of the same predators sometimes compete over territory and food with this species. In Florida, Red-shouldered Hawks sometimes collaborate and peaceably coexist with American Crows (usually an enemy to all other birds because of their egg-hunting habits) so they cooperatively mob mutual predators, mainly Great Horned Owls and Red-tailed Hawks.

Status

Prior to 1900, the Red-shouldered Hawk was one of the most common North American raptors. Population densities have decreased precipitously due to the clearing of mature forests (principally the wet hardwood forest they prefer) since that time. The changing of habitats has led to a general population increase of the Red-tailed Hawk, an occasional predator of its cousin. Additionally affecting the Red-shouldered Hawk was the greater availability of firearms in the early 1900s, leading to unchecked hunting of this and all other raptor species until conservation laws took effect in the latter half of the 20th century. Local forest regrowth and the ban of hunting has allowed Red-shouldered Hawk populations to become more stable again and the species is not currently considered conservation dependent. In Florida, the Red-shouldered Hawk is perhaps the most commonly seen and heard raptor species.^[11] However, human activity, including logging, poisoning from insecticides and industrial pollutants, continue to loom as threats to the species.