Part 2 of My Third Year Blogversary Celebration...How I Arrived~

Three years ago I introduced a handful of family and friends to a blog by the name of Red-Shouldered Hawks of Tingsgrove and Beyond.
The blog was inspired then and continues to be inspired not only by these beautiful hawks, but nature and wildlife beyond the boundaries of these two acres.

I have been asked 2 questions on several occasions about the pair of hawks that I have grown so fondly of.

The first question is...

How do you know that this is the same pair every year?

Well, to be quite honest, I cannot be absolutely positive that this is the exact same pair that I began following in 1996.
However, I am pretty certain that there is a very strong possibility, that at least the female is the same bird and quite possibly, the male as well.

If you have a litter of Pekingese puppies, they all look pretty much the same and yet, you are able to tell them apart. 
The same was true when I would raise and rehab Gray Squirrels. One particular time, I had 16 all at once and I knew each of them by their personalities and there was always some slight variation in their appearance.

That being said, I am fairly confident to state that there is a very strong possibility considering this, that these are the same 2 hawks. 
The female hawk and I have looked into each others faces for a very long time. 
I know her and she recognizes me...no doubt about it.

The second question, would be answered, as well as go along with my answer to the first...how long can a wild Red-Shouldered Hawk live in the wild. 
If everything works in their favor...15 to 19 years. 

This will conclude for the most part this season with the Red-Shouldered Hawks and as of this evening, one month after all 3 chicks fledged, all 3 are still thriving and they continue to yell all day long for food, but are capable of hunting small Voles for now.

This morning, I sadly witnessed a young hawk elsewhere get killed by a passing automobile, and that can always happen to these chaps as well. 
They stay pretty high in the trees, but get so excited when food is being brought to them, that at times they cross lanes of moving traffic, and that is the end of it.

I want to say thank you once again for all of your encouraging words and your enthusiasm for my blog. I adore visiting each of you and I am so hoping to do a better job at keeping up, as I had been doing all along very soon.

 

 

The adult female above...

 

 

 

I love when the female just perches and chills for a bit~

 

 

My heart always soars when I see the once small fluffy white chicks, grow big and strong and begin to fly.  I have not been able to witness them soaring with the adults yet, but it is becoming more difficult to keep up with them.

 

 

 

Above and below is the first born chick, and most probably a female, for it is very large and beautiful. 
This one spent a whole lot of time in my presence since flying from nest, and just seemed to know me...after all, it has known my face since it first began to peer out over the rim of the nest.  I shall always treasure this time and cherish the sweetness.

Yelling goes on from just after sunrise, to just a bit before dusk.  Their voices have become very loud, and I can hear them from 9 full acres away now.

This  is the middle chick and was the second one to fledge 4 weeks ago tomorrow.  This one is much smaller, and may be a male, but I cannot be sure. 
It has been the most elusive of the 3 and yet, it has also enjoyed some nice time in my presence. 
My neighbor, David who owns part of the land that the hawks have shared, told of a

delightful story last Saturday evening. A large Box Turtle was walking in his back yard. The young hawk, most probably this one, would fly down to the turtles back and use it's talons and beak to peck on the shell, as the turtle retrieved to the inside. David said this went on for some time...and of course the hawk was never a threat to the turtle.

 

My heart has been more tendered toward the youngest one below, a little male, since leaving the nest 4 weeks ago this Tuesday. He has had the most difficult time, and I have spent many concerned hours...hoping and praying over this guy. That face...who could not just melt over him...

The photograph above, is one of my all time favorites of these young ones. 

I took just under 4,000 images in 16 weeks and the selections in this post are some of my most favored ones. 

The 3 neighborhood families that helped me gain access to the nest for this season, shall each receive a photograph book with the 240 favored images in them. 

This is the least that I can do for their allowing me to trapse upon their property all of these weeks.

Please visit other Mosaic Monday entries with Mary
at
Little Red House

I am also linking with Dave at World Bird Wednesday, please visit other birding photographers and enthusiasts from around the world at:

http://www.pineriverreview.blogspot.com/