Welcome to the Swainson's Hawk Watch

May 15, 2015 - A pair of Swainson's Hawks have been mating and building a new nest in a different neighborhood tree. I will try to start adding a few new 2015 photos of this pair as the summer progresses. (Scroll down on this page to see the 2015 blog posts in chronological order.)

July 3, 2015 - Sadly, the 3 chicks have fallen out of the nest and perished. This blog chronicles activities around the nest until this tragic event, with the July 3 post below the first you will read.

Note! These and additional photos (total = 154) are viewable in this Swainson's Hawks blog 2015 Picasa Web album.

Archive, May 2014 two Swainson's Hawks have been mating in a tree about a block from the old 2010 -2011 nest site. I have not seen them in a nest yet but have seen them mate three times in the same tree over a two day period.

Whenever possible I will try to post photos on this blog again this year, especially if we can identify the nest site where we can see the chicks growing and fledgling. Note! See the first photos below on the May 5, 2014 blog post below.

Archive 2010 & 2011.
In April of 2010, a pair of wild Swainson's Hawks decided to nest in our neighborhood in Boise, Idaho. This "Hawk Watch" will attempt to record words and photographs describing the Hawks behaviors, including the hatching & fledgling of chicks over the spring and summer. Many others who live in the neighborhood also watched the daily activities of the hawks and used this blog to keep up on my own observations and photographs.

Note! May 6, 2011 Two Red-tailed Hawks have settled on the old nest and appear to be laying on eggs now. See blog posts below. Here is a link to 56 Red-tailed hawk photographs from 2011 I uploaded to my Picasa Web Album.

Note! On March 12, 2011 two neighbors reported seeing a single hawk flying around and landing on the nest. Hopefully they will nest here again or nearby and we can continue the blog through 2011.
Note! Please Try to "Follow" the Blog and check in often. I am trying to update this site and the photo album at least once or twice a week. This page scrolls down to the blog entries below this introduction. The first blog entry you will see is the latest one. Scrolling the page down will reveal earlier posts in descending chronological order. And/or you can use the Blog Archive on the right side of the screen to see entries for May, through October 2010 and newer ones for 2011.
Please feel free to share this Blog with your family and friends. The URL you can email to them is:
http://swainsonshawkwatch.blogspot.com

Note ! I am posting "all" of the hawk images to an album in my Picasa Web account. Below is the web URL for that album. You can click on that hot link and/or also click on the Hawk lifting off branch photo to go to that album. As of October 3, there are 600 individual images in the album.

Note! When looking at a single photo in the album use the "full screen" icon for a larger, more impressive size!

Hawk lifting off branch

Friday, August 27, 2010

Swainson's Hawk Migration Map

I just came across a blog called "Contact Calls" that contained a very interesting post titled "Swainson's Hawks - A Meditation."  This describes the hawk migration as one of the "great natural spectacles that our world has to offer" and is a pleasure to read.

In addition the post includes a neat map showing the Swainson's Hawks migration route from North America to far South in Argentina.
Swainson's hawk migration route. Data from USGS, Snake River Field Station, from 30 birds fitted with satellite tracking devices.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Neighbor calls to report seeing Hawks in Perching Tree

Last night a neighbor who lives close to the perching tree with no leaves on top said she had seen two hawks in the tree earlier on Sunday afternoon.  I asked her to call me by phone if she saw any hawks in the tree again.   About sunset she called and said one hawk had returned.  I was able to shoot a few shots of the young hawk and a few minutes of video just at sunset. Look closely a the first photo below and you will see the hawk is standing on one foot.  The hawk flew while I had the video camera running and I will try to post this video as time permits.

This morning the neighbor called again reporting a hawk in the tree.  I had been shooting still photos of the final stages of the Straw Bale house construction, so I rode my bike over and was able to get a couple of shots of the young hawk in the tree.  It was making some screeching sounds so I decided to hurry back home to get the HD video camera with a good directional microphone to see if I could capture this sound.  Unfortunately the hawk was gone by the time I returned.  I went past the hay field too but did not see any hawks there.  I will try to carry the video camera a microphone in the next few days to try to catch the sound these young hawks make while they are perching.

Click on the Image for a Larger View!

Click on the Image for a Larger View!

Click on the Image for a Larger View!

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Young Hawk Returns to Favorite Perching Tree

This afternoon it was hot, in the high 90's, but a cloud front moved in about 5: PM.  I decided to visit the hawk nest area and was surprised to see one of the young hawks perching in the favorite tree without leaves on top.  It had its wings spread a little, probably to dissipate the heat.  I was able to take photos showing the hawks chest and some small white spots that look like chick feathers that have not yet come out.  Another shot from the back shows the hawk with its wings slightly spread.  As I was leaving I could hear the hawk crying out and moving around on the branch.  I was able to get a couple of photos of it preparing to jump and in the sky and soaring away into the distance toward the hay field.  I went past the field but could not see this one or any of the other hawks.

Click on the Image for a Larger View!

Click on the Image for a Larger View!

Click on the Image for a Larger View!

Click on the Image for a Larger View!

Empty Swainson's Hawk Nest in Sycamore Tree

As of today, I have not seen any of the Swainson's Hawk family members near the nest, or the favorite perching tree or near the hay field.  A few times we have heard hawk sounds above or near our house but have not seen them.  Probably we will see one or more of the hawks soaring in the sky in the next several weeks before they start their migration.  If I get a chance I will try to photograph them in the neighborhood.  I also play to visit the Idaho Bird Observatory research site located at Lucky Peak, the southernmost peak on the Boise Foothills Ridge.  The web site (hot link with directions above) notes that the best time to see the Hawk Watch migration and Hawk Banding program is September through the first week of October.

Note! during the spring and summer I did shoot some High Definition video of the Hawks in and around the nest.  As time permits this fall I plan to edit several sequences showing different aspects of their behaviors and sounds and post them on this blog site.  Visit once in a while to see these video pieces as I get them ready.

Two photographs below show the Sycamore Tree where the Swainson's Hawks raised the two chicks this summer.  As noted in an earlier blog pose here the cold wet spring weather inhibited the early leaf growth of Sycamores in Boise.  As the summer progressed more leaves appeared, but we always had a good view of the nest because of the hole in the leaves.  These photos show the whole top of the tree with the nest area visible an a closer shot of the hole in the leaves as it now exists.  Unfortunately, we may not see the hawks in the nest again this year.  There is a pretty good chance the adult hawks will come back and try to use the nest again next spring.

Click Image for a Larger View!

Click Image for a Larger View!

Monday, August 16, 2010

Young Hawk Returns to Favorite Tree

This evening a hawk was again perched in the favorite tree with no leaves on top near the nest.  The breast feathers below the hawk's chin are definitely darker that the young hawks a few weeks, or even a week ago.  However, a very small white feather was clearly visible in these dark breast feathers.  As the hawk flew off one of these white feathers floated in the sky. (See the photo from this morning) Because of this I now believe this is one of the young hawks returning to the familiar favorite tree sometimes at least once or twice a day, possibly more often.  I was lucky to get a couple of shots of this one starting to fly from the tree this evening.

Click on the image for a larger view!

Click on the image for a larger view!

Click on the image for a larger view!

Click on the image for a larger view!

Young? Hawk Visits Favorite Tree Near Nest

This morning I saw one hawk in the favorite perching tree with no leaves on the top branches.  Yesterday I thought the hawk on the tree was one of the adults.  However, because of its apparent smaller size in profile, I now think this must be one of the young hawk chicks coming back to familiar territory.  I have not seen one in the nest a hundred yards away for several days, but for the last few days one has been seen in this tree. This morning this young hawk jumped from branch to branch before flying off. Unfortunately,  I did not get a photo of this final action.
Click on the image for a larger view!

Click on the image for a larger view!

Look for the white "chick" feather floating above the left wing!

Click on the image for a larger view!

Look for the white "chick" feather floating above the left wing!
Click on the image for a larger view!

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Female Hawk Visits Bare Tree By Nest

Last evening about 6: PM I could see a hawk in the favorite bare tree about 100 yards from the nest.  Looking closely at the dark feathers on her breast underneath her chin, I believe this is the female mother hawk.  Looking back at the photos from this morning it appears that they also may be the mother hawk instead of one of the young hawk chicks.  They have a distinctly varied mottling coloring in this same breast area under the chin.

I waited for her to fly to try to capture a good shot of her taking off.  However, just as I moved the camera to avoid one of the tree limbs she took off and I missed the good shot I wanted.  When they decide to take off there is usually not many signs.  Sometimes they ruffle their feathers and start to look out just before they take off.  But often, within a split second they jump and are in the air.  Luckily, during the spring and summer I have been able to capture this jump - fly behavior a few times.  You can see these in the photo album that now totals 553 images.

Click on the image for a larger view!

Click on the image for a larger view!

Click on the image for a larger view!

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Crows Attack Young Hawk in The Sky

 As the young hawk flew off from the tree this morning,  suddenly 4 crows flew by and started  chasing the hawk. A couple of the crows continued to harass the hawk in the sky for a minute and finally one of the crows followed and dove at the hawk for several minutes as they both soared high in the sky and finally out of my sight.

Click the image for a larger view!

Click the image for a larger view!

Click the image for a larger view!

Click the image for a larger view!

Young Hawk Perched on Bare Tree By Nest

This morning about 11:AM I saw one of the young hawks perched in the favorite bare tree top a hundred yards from the nest.  It was preening and looking around, but I did not hear any hawk cries, nor did I see the other sibling hawk or either of the parents.

Click on the image for a Larger view!

Click on the image for a Larger view!

Click on the image for a Larger view!

Friday, August 13, 2010

One Young Hawk Came Back to the Nest

On Tuesday August 10, neighbors reported hearing a hawk in the nest.  I did not see it in the morning but in the evening about 8: PM I could identify one of the young hawks creating some fairly loud cries while perching in the nest looking around.  I stayed until the sun went down, but I never did see or hear any of the other hawks.  It appeared that this young hawk had come back to the nest where it felt comfortable and was making noise in the hope that the parents would come back to feed it.

The rest of the week, both morning and evening we did not see or hear any of the hawks by the nest or by the hay field.  About noon on Wednesday two hawks flew over our house, fairly high in the sky, and we could hear them too.   But they were gone before I could get the camera or binoculars out to try to identify whether these were the parent hawks or one parent and one young hawk.  We hope that some of this familiar hawk family will return to our skies a few more times before they start to migrate south in the fall.

Click on the image for a larger view!

Click on the image for a larger view!

Friday, August 6, 2010

Young Hawk Perched on Power Pole and Flew to Hay Field to Hunt

This evening it was cloudy and dark about sunset.  I did not see any hawks by the nest.  However, as I was using binoculars to look over the field I suddenly heard a hawk nearby.  One of the young hawks had landed on a power pole just 30 yards from where I was standing.  I got closer and watched it for awhile while it preened and stretched and took a poop.  I took a few hand held telephoto lens shots without much light. Even though they are dark, these may be the last close up photos I will get of the young hawks.  I will post a few of them here and  a few more in the photo album.

Click on the image for a larger view!

Click on the image for a larger view!

Click on the image for a larger view!

When the young hawk flew off from the pole it went right down into the field and started moving around on the ground.  I assume it was hunting grasshoppers.  I could hear another hawk in the distance and suddenly I saw it fly across the field and right over the young hawk that was hunting. I have a very dark photo of this second hawk as it flew by and the light color in the forefront underwing makes it appear to be the the male parent.  The young hawk quit hunting and just stood still for about 5 minutes.  I could hear the other hawk in the distance during this time.  Finally the young hawk started hunting on the ground again.  It was so far away and it was almost dark that my photos may not be worth putting up here.  I will look at them closely as soon as I can and post any useable ones.  It was great to see that the young hawks are still around and learning how to hunt and feed themselves.

Click on the image for a larger view!

Click on the image for a larger view!

Hawks Seen in Nest and Pine Tree

When I went past the hawk nest this morning a neighbor who lives nearby said he had seen one hawk in the nest and another in the pine tree.  The one in the nest flew to the pine tree and he seemed to get in sort of a fight or scramble, then they both flew off.  He was not sure if these were both young hawks or if a parent hawk was also involved.  I returned to my home and about noon we could hear hawks making noise.  I rode my bike to the field a couple of blocks away and could see nothing and then back to the nest area.  One young hawk was in the nest making quite a bit of noise and looking around.  Finally it took off and flew toward the field.  I rode over and saw one of the young hawks in a tree across the street from the field.  It did not stay long and took off again across the field and I lost sight of it.  
Click on the image for a larger view!

Click on the image for a larger view!

Click on the image for a larger view!

Click on the image for a larger view!

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Hawks Seen in Nest and Tree

A neighbor reported that there was a hawk in the nest and another in the Pine tree this morning.  We don't know if these were the young hawks or one young hawk and the adult female who often has perched in the pine tree when a young hawk was in the nest in the past,  No photos from this morning - Sorry!

I will try to go over to the nest this evening and will report back in this post if I see anything and add photos if I can.

Meanwhile I found some more good detailed information about Swainson's Hawk (Buteo swainsoni) from the "California Partners in Flight Riparian Bird Conservation Plan."  Click on the link above to visit the web site.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

One Young Hawk Back at the Nest

This morning, about 11: AM, walked past the old hawk nest and saw one of the young hawks standing, moving, and looking around from the nest.   It almost appeared as if it was waiting for one of the adult hawks to bring food as they have done so many weeks in the past.  I waited for 1/2 hour and nothing happened however.  It will be interesting if this one hawk keeps coming back to the nest where it may feel more comfortable.  I could not see or hear the sibling or the adult hawks this morning.

Click the image for a larger view!

Click the image for a larger view!

Click the image for a larger view!

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Young Hawks Alone Making Loud Calls

Today is Tuesday August 3, and neither the neighbors or myself have seen either of the adults or young hawks flying or  near the nest or by the field or anywhere else around the neighborhood.  Possibly they are moving out to learn how to hunt.  I thought they might use the hay field for this for a longer period of time, but once the hay bales were gone we have not seen the hawks hunting in the field.  Below are a couple of photos and a report on my last sightings last weekend.  It was interesting to hear the call they were both making.  Possibly trying to attract one of the adults back to the area.  But we did not see this happen.

On Saturday afternoon about 5 PM, July 31, we walked by the hay field and could see no evidence of the adult or young hawks.  By this time the farmer had picked up almost all of the hay bales, leaving only a few broken ones in the field.  However, we could hear a hawk making a loud chirping noise nearby and finally located one of the young hawks high in a pine tree in the shade across the street from the field.  It moved around a little and I was able to get one photograph of its tail.  We also walked by the nest area and the favorite perching trees that the hawks have been using for the past two months and could not see them  or hear any hawk like sounds.

Click on the image to get a larger view!

On Sunday, August 1 about noon I again went past the field and with binoculars could see no evidence of any of the hawk family.  A few minutes later I walked past the nest area and could see and hear one of the young hawks in the nest.  It was making the same loud chirping noises as the one near the field the day before.   But there were no other hawks in sight nor could I hear any other hawk sounds.

Click on the image to get a larger view!

Click on the image to get a larger view!

There is a possibility that these might be the last photos we will be able to get of this Swainson's Hawk Family that has been living in our neighborhood for more than two months, since about mid April.  This blog and the photo album contains a fairly good record of this interesting time period.  Please tell your friends and neighbors about the Swainson's Hawk Watch blog and enjoy over 500 album photographs in the coming months and years.