Today, at about 2, I saw an adult male RED-SHOULDERED HAWK, perched
in the row of trees along the south line of Sherk Rd, about 100m west of
the Niagara Parkway. All the standard field marks were easily seen. I
also noted that in addition to the tail pattern (narrow white bands
alternating with wide black bands, the "checkerboard" pattern of dark
and white on the back is distinctive. This can be quite useful when
initially seeing this bird from the rear. . The Red-Shouldered seems
to have established a winter territory here, as it was also reported in
this general area (Service Rd. 17) about 2 weeks ago.
Special thanks to Willie D'Anna for his helpful tips in locating
this beautiful raptor. As many of you know, in the summer it prefers
mosquitoey damp woods, which I don't. In the winter it is more often
found in the edge of this type of habitat usually near an old field, as
it prey shifts to small rodents in colder weather.
Finally, I caution that there were many immature red-tailed hawks in
this area which may tempt some to jump to conclusions.
Lewis Crowell
East Aurora, NY
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
