Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Harris Hawk at Michael Perry Park

1. Screaming-kab 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.

2. Harris hawk-kab 

3. taking wing-kab 

4. beauty-kab 

5. landing-kab 

6. scream again-kab 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.

12 comments:

  1. Awesome looking hawk, Kathie! Great shots!

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  2. Wow Katie...very nice captures of a hawk that I have yet to see in the wild.

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  3. Great shots! You two have so much fun.

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  4. Gorgeous pictures, what amazing colouring, nice to see it up close.

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  5. Hi Kathie

    An interesting post I did not know that hawks hunt in family groups.

    Regards
    Guy

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    1. Guy, until I met these birds years ago i did not know that either!

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  6. Harris Hawks are just beautiful. But they always sound like they are angry, or at least the one at our rehab center sure does.

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Welcome to my nest! I hope you will enjoy spending time here with me and the birds. Thank you for your comments. I will try to get back to you as soon as I get back from counting more birds.