![\"red-tailed](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/red-tailed-hawk-2081b-ron-dudley.jpg\")
1\/5000, f\/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nOn October 27 of this year I photographed a pair of adult Red-tailed Hawks cavorting with each other near Farmington Bay – this bird is one of them. They were soaring high in the sky and this hawk never came in close to me so the image has little detail but I thought I’d include it so readers can see\u00a0both birds. The two\u00a0hawks were obviously interacting with each other in a nonaggressive manner.<\/p>\n
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This is the other hawk and as you can see it was carrying nesting material as it soared and “played”\u00a0with its apparent mate.<\/p>\n In my experience this behavior so late in the year is unusual but not unheard of. I believe I’ve read in the past that some raptor species occasionally\u00a0do this to maintain the pair bond through the winter. Non-migratory Red-tailed Hawks usually remain mated until the death of a partner so it makes sense.<\/p>\n Bird behaviors\u00a0are fascinating and it feels oh so\u00a0good to get back to them after my recent hiatus.<\/p>\n Ron<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Raptors carrying nesting material in late fall is something I rarely see or photograph.<\/p>\n![\"red-tailed](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/red-tailed-hawk-2125-ron-dudley.jpg\")
1\/2000, f\/6.3, ISO 500, Canon 7D Mark II, Canon\u00a0EF 500mm f\/4L IS II USM, not baited, set up or called in<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n