Manicure or Pedicure

This is a common hawk around these parts and remarkably sometimes captured digitally on one of the trail cameras.  Like this one from the last batch of photos we recently uploaded.

Don't take my word for it; if you go to the 'LABELS' feature on the left side of the blog homepage you can click on Red-Tailed Hawk or Raptors to see previous posts on the subject.

This bird comes in a range of colors stretch from dark brown to almost white.  Typically they're shades of brown, white breast and a distinctive rust-red tail.  Both sexes are similarly-colored with the female being slightly larger in size.  Yes, you'll find photos here of a pair.  

They raise one brood a year and the young of the year don't develop the red tail until the second year.  Contrary to what the book says - this species is found here year-round.

Here's a captive (rescue) bird; providing a good look at the talons found on this  raptor.  

If a raptor goes to a nail salon do they get a manicure or a pedicure?  

Breakfast of Champions

Once and a while I'm fortunate to get a photo of a raptor on one of the trail cameras. This is not anywhere near as spectacular as the bald eagle photos from earlier this spring but it is interesting nonetheless.    

 

A red-tailed hawk. 

 

 

Over a period covering fifteen minutes the camera recorded this bird dining-upon its prey.    

 

 

I wonder if it was one of the fox squirrels photographed earlier at the same location.......

 

click on images for a closer look

 

Murder Scene

From our walk was this....

It's the scene of a murder.  Although it is not the scene of a crime.  A bird of unknown origin was killed and plucked right here by a predator.  If I had to hazard a guess a raptor.  If you click on the image and examine it closely you will not find one single vestige of flesh.  Only feathers.  The work of one of the resident red-tailed or marsh hawks most likely. 

The strong survive and the weak are killed and eaten.

Trail Camera Tales - Chapter 5

Friday, April 6 – Dawns with more snow.  The morning was dominated by snow squalls that came to near whiteout conditions with accumulations filling what remained of the excavated bait.  Undeterred, the crows resume their excavation.  A whitetail cruises thru as the snow accumulates.  As the afternoon arrives the skies clear and the sun emerges.  The Red-tail hawk returns.

Trail Camera Tales - Chapter 4

Thursday, April 5 – Dawned with continued excavation of the lure.  A group of whitetail deer move thru and a yearling buck gives the bait a sniff.  The crows persist in their excavation of the snow.  A persistent worker the crow is.  The Red-tail hawk returns at noon and after picking at the scraps flies-off.  As darkness fall you can observe how extensive the excavation has become.  If I had to hazard a guess the bait has been substantially reduced in size.  After four days a nocturnal visitation occurs.

click on images to enlarge

Trail Camera Tales - Chapter 3

Wednesday, April 4 – Dawned with 8 to 10 inches of snow on the level with drifting up to 14+ inches.   Because it has been cold I presume that the block of chicken parts has remained largely intact – shrinking slowly in size as the birds pick at it.  The crows worked diligently throughout the day to excavate the tasty attraction.  The Red-tail hawk returned late in the afternoon and departs after about ten minutes of snacking.  There still have been no overnight visitors.

 

click on an image to enlarge

Trail Camera Tales - Chapter 2

Tuesday, April 3 – Dawned with snow – the last big storm of the season.  Follow the time lapse as the snow accumulates.  For scale, observe the white spruce tree in the background right of center as the lower limbs catch the snow and are eventually buried.  The crows and the red-tail hawk alternately visit despite the stormy conditions.  So far there have been no overnight visitors.  Strange.

click on an image to enlarge

Trail Camera Tales - Chapter 1

If you follow this blog you may recall that last month I made a giant batch of homemade chicken soup.  And as a consequence of that project there remained a giant batch of chicken bones and meat schnibbles.  Which I filled an entire gallon Ziploc bag.  And froze for some scheme I had up my sleeve.  On Monday, April 2^nd I hatched the scheme.  I deposited the frozen bag of chicken parts directly in front of a trail camera to see who might pay a visit.  1944 photos later I’ve assembled a compilation of the events as they unfolded.  I left the date and time stamp on each photo for purposes of documenting the chronology.   Check back daily for a day by day update of the over six days of what happens to chicken parts.

Monday, April 2 – The very last thing I did before leaving town was to hike over the trail camera situated a couple hundred yards from the house and deposit the contents of a gallon Ziploc bag five feet from the camera.  It was a frozen block of compacted chicken bones and meat bits and I figured it would be irresistible to the critters.  Predictably, within minutes the first of a bazillion visiting crows (Corvus brachyrhynchos)  arrived along with our resident Red-tail hawk (Buteo jamaicensis).

Click on any image to enlarge
 

Hawk!

Red-tailed hawk to be exact.

Scavenging a meal from a gut pile...