Buteo jamaicensis

By Matt Young
red-tailed hawk
Buteo jamaicensis – red-tailed hawk. I found this juvenile red-tailed hawk sitting on the sidewalk next door and being harassed by a couple of blue jays. While I was out on an errand, my neighbor took her to a rescue place, where they pronounced her to be female, 1.5 months old, and unable to fly yet, but not injured. They will keep her and release her when she can fly. She probably fell out of a nest in a nearby tree, but I saw no sign of parents taking care of her. The blue jays may also have a nest nearby, because they get very agitated when a hawk lands on a telephone pole in the backyard.

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Below the fold, just for fun, a portrait of the hawk and a snapshot of one of the unhappy blue jays. The hawk is just below, on the other side of the fence.

red-tailed hawk
blue jay