Birds Harassing a Swainsons Hawk

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bird of prey, birds, raptor, swainsons hawk

Swainsons hawk in fight at dusk, being harassed by 2 small birds. I’ve seen these little birds harass hawks, why I don’t know.

Swainsons Hawks: Hunting Lesson

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bird of prey, birds, prescott az, prescott high school, raptor, swainsons hawk

Swainsons Hawk Family Hunting

These Swanson’s hawks nest in our neighborhood. Here the two parents and one offspring are sitting on the scoreboard at the Prescott High School baseball field. It looks like the parents are giving the youngster a hunting lesson. Earlier in the season it was common to see one or both of the adults hunting in this field, and now that the fledgling is out of the nest the parents have included junior in the hunt.

Swanson’s hawks eat large insects like grasshoppers and cicadas, and also small mammals. I’ve seen the adults with mice and cicadas in their claws returning to the nest.

This is the second nesting season that we’ve had a pair of Swainson’s hawks in the area. These birds are seasonal to Prescott, Az arriving here in the spring and leaving in early fall. They migrate to South America and back.

Photo by Gary Gromer.

Cooper’s Hawk in Bird Bath

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bird of prey, cooper's hawk, prescott az, raptor

Cooper’s Hawk in Bird Bath, originally uploaded by dagnyg.

Swainsons Hawk 8/20/2011

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bird of prey, raptor, swainsons hawk

Swainsons Hawk 8/20/2011 6, originally uploaded by dagnyg.

Swainson’s hawk photographed near the Prescott High School in Prescott Az. Taken with Nikon D80, Nikkor 80-400mm lens. These birds nested near a local church this spring and raised 1 fledgling, now out of the nest.

This bird is looking right into my lens.

Cooper’s Hawk

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bird of prey, birds, cooper's hawk, prescott az, raptor

Cooper’s Hawk 1, originally uploaded by dagnyg.

Cooper’s Hawk