January Parting Shots…
As January draws to a close, I will post just a couple more pics of beautiful birds seen during the past 30 days. The first is a shot of a Red-shouldered hawk. Back home in New York, the “default” hawk is the Red-tail. If you see a hawk in the Northeast, most often it is a Red-tail. Down here in Florida, however, the most commonly seen hawk is the Red-shouldered hawk. It is another buteo - a group of hawks known for their strong bodies, wide wings, and short tails. They live in many places, like fields, forests, and mountains. With sharp eyesight, they soar high to look for small animals, reptiles, and birds to hunt. Species like the Red-tailed Hawk and Red-shouldered Hawk show various colors and patterns, attracting birdwatchers and nature lovers. Buteos are important in their ecosystems as top predators, helping maintain nature's balance.
My second shot of this post is a mature Bald eagle sitting on his/her? nest along Kennedy Parkway entering Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. It is just distant enough to require binoculars or preferably a spotting scope. But it is close enough to be able to easily monitor activity and we have down so over the past several years. There are several active nest we monitor and it is always a joy to see the early periods of nest development and occupancy and the evolving family dynamic that comes about over a three month period. It will only be a matter of time before little heads will start to appear and the parents will be making frequent trips in and out of these huge nests as they bring food to their ever-hungry chicks. More to follow on that!
