Red-tail airshow

Posted 8/21/12

In a week or two, huge numbers of broad-winged hawks will fill the skies in some areas like Hawk Mountain in PA or Sunrise Mountain in New Jersey. That will be near-peak migration time for them as …

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Red-tail airshow

Posted

In a week or two, huge numbers of broad-winged hawks will fill the skies in some areas like Hawk Mountain in PA or Sunrise Mountain in New Jersey. That will be near-peak migration time for them as they make their move south, and daily counts may be in the thousands.

This column, however, concerns some local hawks. A pair of young hawks decided to put on an impromptu air show as they decided to joust with each other in the air. Like most young animals, the play instinct is strong in juvenile hawks. Later, one of these hawks was observed diving close to a black vulture; the vulture was not interested.

These hawks appear to be similar in age; they may even be brood mates. In play, they are developing flying skills they will need to hunt and survive. Even though they are young, they perform like master aviators in the one-second sequence included in this week’s column.

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