I was directed to this Red-shouldered Hawk’s nest after reading a forum post that referred to in on the Audubon Dallas web site (audubondallas.org). The directions provided in the post were pretty good, so I decided to stop by and see if I could find it. I had no trouble.
The nest is high in a Sycamore tree growing on the east side of White Rock Creek. The nest is made of twigs and sticks, and is fairly deep. Only the head of the incubating adult can be seen above the nest’s rim. Binoculars are required for a good view.
This is a first for me. I have never seen a Red-shouldered Hawk before. But, unfortunately there was not a lot of action going on at the nest on the day I visited. As I mentioned earlier, only the head of the adult bird could be seen above the nest.
It is unclear when this pair of hawks began incubating their eggs. The initial report of the nest at audubondallas.org was made on March 23, 2012. It was April 1 before I was able to visit, so they have been incubating for at least 10 days as of this observation. There may be several more weeks to go before we have eyases, as the incubation period for Red-shouldered Hawks is from 28 to 33 days.
I plan to visit the nest weekly, and will report its status in follow up articles as the season progresses.
This observation continues here: Red-shouldered Hawk – Nest Update 1
| County | – | Dallas |
|
| City | – | Dallas | |
| Date | – | Apr 1, 2012 | |
| Time of Day | – | Afternoon | |
| Temperature | – | Warm (70-89°F/21-32°C) | |
| Weather | – | Clear | |
| Habitat | – | Recreation-Park | |
| Type of Behavior | – | Nesting | |
| Gender | – | Uncertain | |
| Maturity | – | Adult | |
| Observer | – | Chris Jackson |
