Cooper's Hawk: "Nesting"
What would you do with a home in the sky?
(Cooper’s Hawk - photo by Neil Barker - April 20, 2024)
Watching from above, a home in the sky offers so much more.
More time and more distance to view the wide world all around you.
With these precious gifts of time and distance, what will you do next?
I took this photo April 20, 2024. This is one of the Cooper’s Hawk I have been following this Spring. I am unsure from a few months ago when I thought the immature hawk (Yellow Eyes) was the male and the mature hawk (Red Eyes) was the female. Maybe I was wrong.
In these photos, Yellow Eyes (female?) is the one tending to the eggs in the nest. I looked around for their mate, Red Eyes (male?) and was not able to see them. Maybe Red Eyes were perched in the nearby pines or out hunting for breakfast.
I am still unsure the gender of Red Eyes and Yellow Eyes as now their size appears more similar. I had read that male Cooper’s Hawks will tend to the eggs on the nest when the female needs to eat, preen, etc.
My earlier post introducing Red Eyes and Yellow Eyes:
Wonderful photos; the hawks might be getting used to your presence. Trust.
Great sijo and essay, Neil! As far as knowing which bird is male and which is female, the best way to learn is to observe, and you will only continue to thoroughly observe these hawks. Thank you for writing along the way.