A very well-fed

Red-tailed Hawk

(Buteo jamaicensis)
November 9, 2008

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Please check back for frequent updates about this bird...

For the past month or so, I've been seeing this Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) hanging out at Duke Gardens. (The fact that the resident pair of Red-shouldered Hawks have been totally absent during that time may not be entirely coincidental...).

I've yet to observe this individual catching any prey, but as you can see from the photos below, s/he is definitely finding something to eat, somewhere in the Gardens. From the size of the bird's distended crop (that huge lump just below the bird's neck), I'd guess that this bird's latest meal was somewhat larger than a mouse and smaller than a mallard...

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Click HERE to see some photos of another hawk and his/her prey menu.

If you like raptors (hawks, falcons, and other birds of prey),
you might also want to view my most recent photos of:

Baby owls
(in Washington, D.C.)

Juvenile red-shouldered hawks
(in Durham, NC)

An active osprey nest
(in the North Carolina piedmont)

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