Terry O'Nolley
Cow-headed Jaybird
First of all, thank you to the staff for making sure that the nesting hawks in question were not in a secluded enough area where our photographing them might do them harm. It is good to know the staff here always puts the birds first!
I have a located a Red-Shouldered Hawk's nest and the pair that lives there. The nest is quite easily photographed with a clear an unobstructed view of the nest from close enough to get great images, but far enough that the hawk attending the nest at the time does not issue a distress call.
The tree the nest is in is less than 30 feet from someone's back-yard and only around 40 yards away from the house! It is also less than 100 yards from a road and is surrounded on 3 sides by housing. The tree sits in an isolated patch of woods and the hawks are obviously used to a human presence - they do not sound alarm at 40 meters from the tree.
The nest itself is in the intersection of the main tree trunk and the first large branch about 10 meters off the ground on the side of the tree facing the road.
If you are interested in photographing this pair of hawks through the nesting season and live in the Washington DC area (actually - you can live wherever you want - the nest is in northern Silver Spring, MD
) then please send me a PM so we can arrange to meet.
Note - the staff alerted me to the dangers of egg-thieves and for that reason I will only agree to meet with a birder that has full digiscoping equipment and plans on bringing it and using it - OK, and teaching me the basics
If you are worried about encroachment on the hawk's territory, I understand but I guarantee that if the nest site is abandoned, it will be because of the family in the yard 30 feet away from the hawk's tree or the children running through the woods playing that scare the pair away - not a few careful birders taking photographs.
I have a located a Red-Shouldered Hawk's nest and the pair that lives there. The nest is quite easily photographed with a clear an unobstructed view of the nest from close enough to get great images, but far enough that the hawk attending the nest at the time does not issue a distress call.
The tree the nest is in is less than 30 feet from someone's back-yard and only around 40 yards away from the house! It is also less than 100 yards from a road and is surrounded on 3 sides by housing. The tree sits in an isolated patch of woods and the hawks are obviously used to a human presence - they do not sound alarm at 40 meters from the tree.
The nest itself is in the intersection of the main tree trunk and the first large branch about 10 meters off the ground on the side of the tree facing the road.
If you are interested in photographing this pair of hawks through the nesting season and live in the Washington DC area (actually - you can live wherever you want - the nest is in northern Silver Spring, MD
) then please send me a PM so we can arrange to meet.Note - the staff alerted me to the dangers of egg-thieves and for that reason I will only agree to meet with a birder that has full digiscoping equipment and plans on bringing it and using it - OK, and teaching me the basics
If you are worried about encroachment on the hawk's territory, I understand but I guarantee that if the nest site is abandoned, it will be because of the family in the yard 30 feet away from the hawk's tree or the children running through the woods playing that scare the pair away - not a few careful birders taking photographs.
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