Sunday, January 9, 2011

Hawks (Not Doves) Flying Around Nation's Capital

Photo by Mr. T in DC
New York City has its famous red-tailed hawks, Pale Male and Lola. Now it looks as if DC has more than enough to compete, given the number of sightings recently reported on the Cleveland Park Listserv. However, one hawk-spotter has suggested that they're not all red-tails. Some may be red-shouldered hawks. Comments by hawk-specializing ornithologists would be particularly welcome, as are links to photos. Meanwhile, here's a sampling of what DC residents have spotted:
This afternoon around 3:45 I spotted what I think was a red-tailed hawk on the corner of 36th and Newark. He had a squirrel in his talons and sat on a branch for a while before taking off. Has anyone else seen a hawk in the neighborhood?
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Yes! We've seen it. It's very large. I actually think I saw an example of group behavior in squirrels that I've never seen. The hawk was ruffling a squirrel nest in a tree on our hillside, (is this the baby time?) when a whole group of squirrels began squeaking, running up and down branches, and as far as I could see, trying to distract the hawk. I banged on a metal pan, and the hawk slowly and disdainfully flew to a very high tree across the street, where it stayed for more than an hour as still as a statue, before disappearing. During that time, a group of about 8-10 squirrels ran crazily up and down several trees, across the top of our fence, everywhere but the tree where the nest is, almost without interruption. It seems the hawk got its squirrel, though!
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This hawk has been a regular visitor to our property for the past few years. It must nest somewhere around the Melvin Hazen Trail, because I see it perched in those woods quite frequently. I've watched it grow. When young, this hawk used to sit in the mock cherry trees above our back yard and wait for prey to appear, but it was wary of people and would fly at any approach. With age, it is more comfortable among humans. The other day, I climbed from the garage to my rear deck and confronted it sitting on a planter next to the lawn. It just sat there, completely unruffled, and looked at me. I was amazed at how close it allowed me to come before finally, grudgingly, it flew off.
In winter months, we keep a feeder filled with sunflower seeds for songbirds -- a popular hangout for the little fellows. The hawk, too, dines at our feeder and enjoys its raptorial buffet. One snowy day last year, I watched as it took a small bird to the ground and, over the course of about 45 minutes, calmly devoured the hapless victim -- starting with the head and finally leaving only a bed of feathers inside a pale bloody ring on the white surface. I was sorry to see it attacking songbirds, which I like. If only I could encourage the hawk to eat our squirrels, which have become overabundant and are a nuisance in the tomato garden.
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When it visited our Macomb Street backyard early on a mid-December morning, our neighbor identified it as red-shouldered (not -tailed) hawk, and on dog-walking occasions at Rosedale, I believe I've seen it and a companion circling the Cleveland Park skies. Because the neighborhood is good for squirrels, it should not be surprising if hawks roost here as well.
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Here's a guide to common hawks in the eastern United States: http://bit.ly/hGyv9w
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My office window looks out on the Intelsat building and many times I have seen one or two hawks circling around and apparently landing on one of the towers there. They often hunt squirrels in the tiny corner park at Tilden and Connecticut as well. No sightings during the recent construction however.
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Here's a snapshot of a neighborhood hawk taken near the Newark Street Giant: http://www.flickr.com/photos/billadler/5336306898/
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While not in the Cleveland Park area, we were astounded on Christmas Day to come out of Holy Rosary church on 3rd and F NW (very close to the Building Museum) and spot a hawk in a tree across the street. We know there are rats in the area and the last time we had been there, we found one dead on the sidewalk that had looked chewed.
Once we spotted the hawk, we figured it must be living in the area and hunting.It took off heading south on 3rd Street. We found this photo and comments about others in the city, outside Rock Creek Park: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mr_t_in_dc/4468736808/

5 comments:

  1. Is it a coincidence that you wished Mr. Hawking a happy birthday and then had all this observations about hawks?

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  2. We too have noticed, since early December, what looks to be a red shouldered Hawk perching on the top guardrail of the Dupont Circle Hotel. It is usually there in the mornings and flies across the circle to perch on top of the building opposite. Then this morning I saw a similar hawk hunting in my back yard, in the Tenleytown area.
    Does anyone know if this is unusual? I don't recall seeing this many hawks around here.

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  3. We have a hawk that regularly visits our backyard. We're on N St. off of 1st NW. The first time he had a mouse in his talon and was sitting on the backyard fence eating it. Very cool. He comes around everyday around 11 AM.

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  4. Just watched on on my deck on U Street, eating some fowl he had caught. Just beautiful. He fled when my dog started barking.

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  5. I saw the same type of hawk pictured here while heading to the Judiciary Square metro on Feb. 25th. I was on the west side of the E. Barrett Prettymman Federal courthouse on Constitution when the bird landed in a tree next to the building. One tree over was a squirrel nervously running up and down the trunk. I didn't have time to stay and see if anything happened, but it was very cool to see this beautiful bird so close up, right in the city.

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