18 March 07
Return Of The Swainson's Hawks
Yesterday we thought we heard and saw one, but today it was clear — the Swainson’s hawks have returned to the vicinity. At noon time there were two birds circling fairly high overhead and calling, and then late in the afternoon we saw two Swainson’s flying at a fairly low height calling and chasing a red-tailed hawk. The dynamics between the two species are interesting. The redtails are down on the Sacramento Valley floor where we are during the wintertime. In the mornings we’ve regularly seen one perched on the power pole 100 meters southwest of the house. Once the Swainson’s hawks show up, the redtails get displaced, presumably moving up to the foothills.
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That’s interesting. They seem so similar to me in form I hadn’t really thought about how they co-exist. Red tails pretty much rule the open areas here (with no Swainsons or kites there’ s nothing much to displace them except mobs of angry crows).