Swainson's Hawk Watch

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.

http://picasaweb.google.com/gogrimm/SwainsonSHawksNesting#

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

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Mother Hawk and 2nd Chick Are on Top of Pine Tree

On Tuesday morning, July 20, the nest was empty, but I could see the female hawk on top of the pine tree across the street. As I looked closer I could also see one of the young hawk chicks on top of the tree with her. I am quite sure this is the 2nd young hawk to fly. This is the first time I have not seen any hawk in the nest so that implies that both chicks are flying. This one might be the last one to leave the nest.

The mother hawk stayed with the chick for several minutes then flew off to another tree. The young hawk stayed for several more minutes then flew over to the same tree. As I have seen with the other young hawk when they fly they are awkward as they try to land on a branch and often keep their wings open for balance until they feel secure.

Click on the image for a larger view!

Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Young Hawks and Half Moon

Monday evening, July 19, as the sun was setting a half moon was visible in the sky behind the hawk nest. For a while both young hawks were flapping their wings and looking out at the female Hawk that was perched in the pine tree across the street. Suddenly one young hawk took off flying. Afterwards the 2nd young hawk flapped its wings a lot, but never did try to fly as the sun finally went down.

Click on the image for a larger view!

Young Hawk Flies from Tree to Tree

On Monday morning July 19, I saw a hawk on top of the pine tree and looking closely I could see it was one of the young hawks. As I watched it flew over to another tree to join the female adult hawk. After awhile it flew to another tree where I could not see it. However, as I was watching the nest it came flying into the top of the nest tree where the 2nd hawk chick was watching. Finally it flew again over to the pine tree where the female adult was perched. I was lucky to get a photograph of the young hawk landing and the adult hawk taking off at the same time.

Click on the image for a larger view!

One Young Hawk Near Nest at Sunset

On Sunday evening, July 18, one young hawk was alone standing on a limb by the nest as the sun set. The other young hawk has been flying away from the nest and was not visible at this time

The female hawk was watching from the top of a pine tree nearby. She flew once and landed again in the Pine Tree. I have uploaded a few additional sunset images like these to the photo album where there are now 316 total images.

Click the link above to go to the album.

Click on the image to see a larger view!

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Young Hawk Flies to Nearby Tree

While watching the nest this morning I saw the female hawk land and take off again with both young hawks in the nest. They both exchanged places on the nest and nearby limb and finally both of them got on the limb together. Suddenly one took off and I was not quite ready to shoot the photo. My telephoto lens did not focus as sharply on the first image, but was better as the young hawk approached the pine tree across the street. It landed successfully, with a little balance problems at first. This is the same pine tree both adult hawks have often used for the past two months. Their landings are quite spectacular and stable compared to the young hawk, who just needs more practice.

Click on the image for a larger view!

Swainson's Hawks Regurgitate Undigested food Pellets

The Swainson's Hawks are nesting in this neighbor's sycamore tree. Yesterday he collected a handful of regurgitated pellets from beneath the tree and showed them to me. These pellets are a mass of undigested food parts that includes fur, feathers, bills, claws, teeth, etc., from prey animals. (See the Wikipedia Article)

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A glove full of regurgitated pellets

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A Single regurgitated pellet

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Saturday, July 17, 2010

I Finally Saw One of the Young Hawks Flying

This morning, July17, as I walked past the nest, I saw both adult hawks fly around and land in trees. Then I saw another hawk at some distance land in a tree very awkwardly, losing its balance a few times. I thought this could be the chick that has been flying out of the nest and watched for awhile as it perched. Then it took off and headed toward the nest and I was lucky enough to get a few telephoto shots as it came in for a landing, again awkwardly. Afterward both young hawks started flapping their wings, but they did not fly from the tree while I was watching.

Click on the image for a larger view!

Young Hawks Seemed to Stay on Nest all Day!

I visited the Hawk nest 4 times on Friday July 16. My first was on a dog walk about 9:AM with a still camera, then about 10: AM with a video camera, and finally in the evening twice about 5: PM and again about 8:15. My interest was in trying to video tape one of the young hawks flying out of the nest. But, this never happened while I was nearby. I did shoot some interesting general hawk video that I will try to edit and upload as time permits.

Both young hawks got out on different branches and flapped their wings several times.

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At one point they both were pulling at some food together.

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1st Hawk Chick to Fly has come Back to Nest

In the evening of July 15, I see that both hawk chicks are back at the nest with the female hawk.

On July 14 about 8:30 PM , a few neighbors actually saw the 1st Hawk Chick fly out of the nest and land awkwardly on a pine tree, then fly on to the tree where I first saw the young hawk several minutes later. It stayed in that tree until I left at dusk. And, I did not see this young hawk again on the nest or anywhere else until the evening of July 15.

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One of the young hawks got out on a limb and flapped its wings, but did not try to fly.

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Finally the sun started setting and the hawks seemed to settle in for the night.

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Thursday, July 15, 2010

2nd Hawk Chick Alone By Nest

This morning about 9:30 AM, I could see the 2nd Hawk Chick alone, but standing out on the limb away from the nest as it had been last night at dark. I could not see any evidence of the 1st Hawk Chick in the tree where it was last night. I also did not see the male hawk. Maybe these two are together out hunting.

The female hawk was in the pine tree near the nest and across the street calling. At one point she flew into the nest and back out again when the chick had hopped back. This 2nd hawk chick does not seem to be flapping or exercising its wings very much. It seems that it needs to do this to build up its flight muscles.

Click on the image for a larger view!

1st Hawk Chick Has Left the Nest

We did not see it happen, but one neighbor heard a lot of hawk noise about 6: AM and when I visited the nest about 9 only a single hawk chick was visible. During the day on a couple of other visits I did not see either the parent hawks or the second hawk chick in the nest. Both the male and female hawks however were visible in nearby trees occasionally and the female was making a lot of different screeching noises.
As the sun was going down about 8:30 PM, I spotted the 1st young hawk chick who had left the nest high up in a tree without leaves. It was perched, but when it tried to move around it looked quite uncomfortable and it did not try to fly. Over about an hour I did see it move over a couple of branches to a more secure and stable footing. I took some photos of the hawk in this tree and also was able to see both hawk parents in the same tree at the same time. The female hawk was making a lot of different screeching sounds. The sun set and it got almost dark when I decided to leave. As I passed by the nest the second hawk chick was out of the nest standing on a branch, but not flapping its wings. It might be another few days before this one flies out of the nest.

This 2nd hawk chick was alone in the nest all day today. Late in the evening I saw it standing out on one of the branches to the right, away from the nest looking out toward where I had been watching the 1st hawk chick and parents.

Click on image for a larger view!

Looking toward the setting sun the 1st hawk chick to fly is uncomfortable on this small branch.

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From a different view with the sun setting the 1st hawk chick to fly has found a more stable perch.

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The female parent is visible in the bottom right, the male is in the bottom right center and the 1st hawk chick to fly is in the top left center.

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Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Female Hawk Brings Mouse Prey Back to Nest

This morning the young hawks were hunkered down in the nest, not moving, but both adults were flying around making a lot of screeching noises. At one point the female hawk came flying in with a mouse in her talons. I captured a couple of photos that clearly show the mouse. After she landed in the nest the young hawk chicks were still not very active. I will go back over a couple of times today to see if one of the chicks might try to fly.

Click on the image for a larger view!

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Straw Bale House Construction Photos too

On daily dog walks I have been taking almost daily photos of the new Straw Bale House that is being constructed in the neighborhood at the same time I take photos of the Swainson's Hawks. I have accumulated a pretty good record up to now including over 900 photos in two photo albums of this building going up. The photo below was taken on July 7, when they were applying the first light coat of earth, sand and straw mix plaster to the straw bales.

Links to the two photo albums for the Straw Bale House Construction are:

Nikon DSLR ( 736 photos)

iPhone Camera album (231 photos)

(including numerous photos where a group of people cooperate for a day to put up the straw bale walls. I also have video of this process that I will try to edit and upload as time permits.

Young Hawks are Venturing out to Tree Limbs

At least one of the young hawks has been flying or hopping out to a tree limb away from the nest and flapping its wings, testing the wind and its balance. A few of us are watching to see if both of the young hawks are doing this, but so far it has been hard to tell. One of them has a darker front under wing like the female and the other has a lighter front underwing like the male hawk. You can see this subtle difference in the second image below that I shot this morning. I have also uploaded several more images to the photo album that now contains 202 images.

I found a lot of detailed information in a Wikipedia article about Swainson's Hawks you might be interested in. Click the hot link above to go to that article. One part mentions that young hawks will venture out on tree limbs a few days before they really try to fly. We are waiting to see that first flight if possible.

One Young Hawk out on a limb, the second one watches

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Young Hawk on a limb catching its balance

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Young Hawk on a limb spreading its wings

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Young Hawk on one leg only

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Young Hawk testing the wind

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