Hawk Nest

I mentioned to Steve on the telephone the other day that the first week we were here at Moonshine Gulch, I had seen a pair of red-tailed hawks mating in a grove of cottonwood trees south of the house - a first for me.

They have apparently set up housekeeping in a well-established nest in a cottonwood in the Bayou Gulch bottoms. I grabbed this shot of it with the little point and shoot, and if you look closely you can see the female in flight on the right of the picture. She jumped out as soon as I unlimbered the camera. Should their family thrive, I'll be working to get some shots with the telephoto lens to post here.

It's definitely that time of year. Rebecca O'Connor tells of the return of the red-tailed hawk that nests near her yard in Banning, whom she has dubbed "The Red Queen", who preys on her pigeons.