Thursday, June 27, 2024

Swooping and play-hunting

How do hawks keep cool in the summer heat? One method is to perch with wings slightly opened, as this Tompkins Square fledgling demonstrates.

Red-tailed fledgling cooling off in the heat.

Another method is to create your own breeze, as the fledgling does as it dives off the tree and swoops to the ground.

Red-tailed hawk fledgling.

Red-tailed hawk fledgling.

Time for some frolicking in the cool grass.

Red-tailed hawk fledgling.

This hawk found a leftover snack hidden in the bushes. Yummy!

Red-tailed hawk fledgling eating a pigeon foot.

Post-meal relaxing:

Red-tailed hawk fledgling.

After resting a while, the fledgling found some leaves to tackle and fly around.

Red-tailed hawk fledgling carrying leaves.

Red-tailed hawk fledgling.

Red-tailed hawk fledgling.

Red-tailed hawk fledgling.

Then, a piece of wood.

Red-tailed hawk fledgling playing with a piece of wood.

Red-tailed hawk fledgling.

Two of the fledglings perch in some brambles where they can see all the squirrels running around in the grass.

Red-tailed hawk fledglings.

Red-tailed hawk fledglings.

Red-tailed hawk fledgling.

Time for some low swooping:

Red-tailed hawk fledgling zipping low to the ground.

Red-tailed hawk fledgling swooping low.

Red-tailed hawk fledgling.

Red-tailed hawk fledgling.

Red-tailed hawk fledgling up close.

Playing with leaves and sticks, diving from branches, and swooping low across the ground is all practice for hunting and catching prey. So far, these young hawks have been acing all their lessons.

More to come.


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