Harris Hawk at Michael Perry Park

 Harris Hawk near Perry Park in Tucson 2-25-13

I often see Harris Hawks when I am birding at Michael Perry Park off Golf Links Road in Tucson. Sometimes they are in the park, and other times I see them farther southeast down the trail along the Pantano Wash or even closer to Harrison Road. Chris Rohrer and I observed this hawk the same night we saw the Black-tailed Gnatcatchers. Harris Hawks live and hunt in family groups and while this hawk was on a utility pole close to where we were standing there was another Harris Hawk on a distant pole. The two birds seemed to be communicating with one another and it was fun to photograph the bird as it flew from one pole to the next.

 

 

 

 

It is not often that I get this close to such a wild hawk!

 

Birds seen at Michael Perry Park on 2-25-13:

1. Gambel’s Quail-28
2. Cooper’s Hawk-1
3. Harris hawk-2
4. Red-tailed hawk-2
5. Rock Pigeon-1
6. Eurasian-collared Dove-4
7. Mourning Dove-210
8. Greater Roadrunner-1
9. Anna’s Hummingbird-5
10. Costa's Hummingbird-1
11. Gila woodpecker-3
12. American Kestrel-1
13. Say’s Phoebe-2
14. Vermilion flycatcher-1
15. Common Raven-4
16. Verdin-3
17. Cactus Wren-2
18. Black-tailed Gnatcatcher 6
19. Western Bluebird-4
20. Curve-billed thrashers-2
21. Phainopepla-7
22. Yellow-rumped Warbler-6
23. White-crowned Sparrow-22
24. Great-tailed Grackle-66
25. Bronzed Cowbird-46
26. House Finch-23
27. Lesser Goldfinch-11
28. House Sparrow-33

Chris and I started counting birds at 4:10 PM and birded for 2:10 hours; we traveled 2 miles from Perry Park to Sellarole St and back.