Spring is here and the Red-tail Hawks have returned

The Red-tail hawks are back at Red-Tail Canyon Farm.  We’ve seen them soaring overhead flashing their red tails this week in their mating rituals.  These aerial displays are meant to advertise their readiness for breeding.  Red-Tail hawks are monogamous and remain with the same mate pairing for life.  We welcome back our resident hawks every spring about this time.  The male and female participate in building the nest together which is a platform constructed of twigs and sticks and lined with bark and greenery.  It is usually located in a tree 100-120 ft. from the ground but some nests are built into the cliffs themselves.  Since we’ve moved here in 1974 we have never been able to locate our hawks nest, which we know lies somewhere at the top of the canyon wall   We suspect that our pair comes back to the same nest each year and just freshens it up a bit before moving back in.  The female will lay one to five bluish eggs with dark marks and will incubate them for 28 – 35 days.  After the hatching is over we usually see two young ones overhead squawking as they learn to fly around the end of May.  We’re looking forward to welcoming our new family members this year.

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