Sad & Lonely Red-tailed Hawk

This juvenile Red-tailed Hawk lost his last family member the other day. The first one got hit on the back road while carrying some prey away and couldn't clear a passing truck.

Then last Monday an adult got hit and killed trying to clear that same road. This juvenile RT Hawk has been crying constantly since last Monday afternoon. It has been heart wrenching to hear everyday and I wish there was something I could do for him.

The day before yesterday he landed in this very tall cotton tree in a neighbors yard. They were very long shots as this tree is easily 150 ft from where I was standing and it's very tall.

I was so happy to get some decent pics of this gorgeous raptor.

Here he is crying. :-( He is such a handsome boy! Check out his massive feet!

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You can see the white edges on the feathers of his back forming a rectangle.

Here he is in flight. I sure hope he finds a friend soon!

Hope you enjoyed the pics.

Beautiful job on your pictures and I enjoyed them very much!!

They are beautiful shots of an absolutely gorgeous bird. My heart really aches for him and hope he finds a friend soon. Thanks for posting them Pelle.

Nice shots. That's too bad, but I bet he will find other Hawks soon. He's beautiful.

Great series..............someday I hope to be able to shoot with those results.

Pelle, I'm so sorry about the death of the other two. I believe that a bird's capacity for experiencing grief is underestimated. Beautiful photos.

I feel for him, but he's at the top of the pyramid. He'll do fine - as long as he stays away from that road.

Hack

Top of what pyramid..............above him are crows that do it battle day in and day out. Then there is the worst preditor.........uninformed and just plain mean man and his rifle. Not to mention coy dogs and such. Farming and gardening chemicals are slow and insane but they still poison much of the small animal kingdom the larger birds feed upon.

You have some really great pictures to go with this Red-tail's sad story.
What camera/lens are you using?
I love hearing their call/scream as they fly overhead.
There is a bumper crop of bunnies this year, so our Red-tails have plenty to hunt.
Hope your guy stays safe and well fed.

You did a wonderful job on those shots, being that far away. They are beautiful birds.
Can't help, but feel bad for the poor thing. They do meet up with a lot of hardships, out there.

Hi Jill, Thank you. I have a Canon Rebel XTi w/ a Sigma 50- 500mm lens. Hopefully he'll come closer for more detailed shots.

I heard him around early this morning but haven't seen him this afternoon. I'll keep you posted

Excellent photos of the Red-shouldered Hawk, pelle.

Thanks Linth!

Well there is a new development with this Red-tailed Hawk.

Apparently there is another red tail probably from his family that is injured and stays in the trees. He is able to fly a little making it from one stand of trees to another.

The juvenile flying around crying comes down and spends time with him in the trees.

I was trying to find him (the injured one) but as soon as I get near the area he is in A LOT of hissing starts and to be honest it's quite nerve wracking so I haven't been able to get a closer look at him.

How is it going with the hawks? Could you contact a rehabber?

Hi nanny, I can contact one that is nearby but it is up to me to capture the bird and take it to them. He seems to be doing okay, just very lonely.

....well it is good that he is doing okay.

Aww, Pelle, I can't believe the rehabber won't come try to get him. I hope he's not going to starve to death if he's not able to fly very well.