![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/red-tailed-hawk-9599-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"red-tailed-hawk-9599-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\nThis mated pair of Red-tailed Hawks was unusually “clingy” with each other.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I photographed them many times over a period of 3-4 summers at Red Rock Lakes National Wildlife Refuge in southwest Montana. This old snag was their favorite perch and I could reliably find at least one of them there and often both of them. It wasn’t unusual to find them so close to each other they almost seemed to be cuddling.<\/p>\n
On this morning, July 22, 2012, several other raptors including another Red-tailed Hawk and a male American Kestrel intruded on their territory so they were both unusually vocal and seeming to need to be close to each other.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/red-tailed-hawk-9716-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"red-tailed-hawk-9716-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\n
When the larger female flew off for a few minutes her mate immediately moved to where she had been perched…<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/red-tailed-hawk-9724-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"red-tailed-hawk-9724-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\n
as if he were saving her spot.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/red-tailed-hawk-9728-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"red-tailed-hawk-9728-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\n
At that point I watched the intruding red-tail through my lens for a few minutes and happened to catch the male kestrel buzzing it and the hawk responding by scolding the aggressive little falcon.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/red-tailed-hawk-9753-ron-dudley.jpg\" "\\"red-tailed-hawk-9753-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\n
Soon the larger female returned to her mate but he didn’t relinquish her original perch to her so she…<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/red-tailed-hawk-9759-ron-dudley-1.jpg\" "\\"red-tailed-hawk-9759-ron-dudley\\"")
<\/p>\n
moved closer to him and they got cuddly again.<\/p>\n
Red-tailed Hawks typically mate for life and these two were almost a fixture in this and adjoining trees for three, possibly four summers. Then one summer they weren’t there and I never saw them again.<\/p>\n
I’ve always wondered what became of them.<\/p>\n
Ron<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Note: <\/em><\/p>\n Some readers like to see a broader view of the locations where my photos are taken.\u00a0These birds were just outside of the tiny, rustic and historic “town” of Lakeview, MT. If you look at the photo in this link<\/a> the snag these hawks were perched on is not far out of frame along the road disappearing to the left.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Some readers will remember my reunion with my old friends Brooke Williams and Terry Tempest Williams and my first meeting with my hero Doug Peacock. That reunion took place on the porch of the far left cabin near the center of the photo within days of when these photos were taken. Good memories!<\/em><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This mated pair of Red-tailed Hawks was unusually “clingy” with each other. <\/p>\n