How To Attract Birds to Your Yard - Foods and Feeders

With the Spring comes warmer weather and the return of many birds. It is baby making season for the wildlife world and birds are busy making nests and eating up everything they can find to provide nutrition for their young. If you love bird watching or photography now is the time to keep an eye out for some beautifully diverse species in your neighborhood.

So you might be thinking...

Where are all the birds in my yard? 

or

Why isn't a certain bird visiting my feeders?

I'm going to give you a quick run down on this info as it applies to Southern California birding but it is pretty easy to apply this to birding anywhere else around the world, you'll just need to do a little research on which species you can expect to see in your town.

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What feeder should I get? There are so many!

This completely depends on what kinds of birds you want to attract. The ideal feeder will be sturdy in all weather, have small holes to keep seed dry, be easy to assemble and easy to clean. Yes! you need to clean your feeders with soap and water, feeders are the perfect places for birds to pass their diseases around. To get a wide variety of bird species just have a wide variety of feeders and food choices. Make sure they are placed on the actual window/window frame or significantly far from a window to avoid them crashing into it. There are also reflective decals that can be use to avoid collisions.
Feeders to look into are:

• Tray or Platform - These will attract most types of birds like doves, pigeons, sparrows, and grosbeaks. These should have drainage holes and be cleaned/hosed off frequently because bird's will soil it with their droppings. These have no protection from rain and other weather so this could spoil seed quickly.
• House/Hopper feeders - are your typical feeders which protect the seed from getting wet and can be hung from poles or trees. They can be harder to clean but will bring in many types of birds. 
• Tube Feeders - These are metal mesh tubes with feeding ports with a perch on top of the port or below it. The positioning of the perch will determine which birds will visit more often.
• Nyjer Feeders - These fine mesh bags allow the fine seed to stay in the sock while the bird can cling (usually upside down) to extract the seed. (Read below about nyjer and what birds prefer it). These can be hung from poles or hooks. These are the one feeder that squirrels tend not to go after so that's a plus!
• Suet Holder - These are coated wire holders with a chain that can be hung on a tree or pole or affixed to a hopper feeder. (More on suet below)
• Nectar Feeders - Hummingbirds and orioles are the main species you will attract with your typical nectar feeders. Make sure to thoroughly clean these weekly as the sugary solutions will go rancid and promote the growth of bacteria and fungi.

Platform feeder from wildbird-shop.com

Credit: Trevor Adler

This hopper feeder forces the Spice finch to cling which slows them down and lessens discarded seed

Spice finch and two house finches at a tube feeder

(Right) Credit: Trevor Adler

Nectar feeders come in all shapes and sizes, find one that can be easily cleaned

Two types of nyjer seed holders. (Left) These holders made from recycled material and magnetic mesh from songbirdgarden.com are functional and attractive. (Right) this picture from lilacsandroses.blogspot.com showcases the "finch sock": cheap, refillable and disposable.

A Western Scrub Jay at our suet holder - these can be purchased at any grocery store in the pet aisle

So what do I put in my feeders?

Attracting birds requires using the correct food to tempt them in. This requires a bit of knowledge about their natural history (what they eat in the wild and how they hunt for it) and also their anatomy (big beaks can eat bigger things and small beaks eat smaller things). So when you're looking up birds in your area give this some thought as you select foods. The key to attracting a large variety of birds to your backyard is having a large variety of foods and feeders that appeal to all species. There are generally 4 types of bird food to consider and additional goodies you can provide to further tempt certain birds.

• Sunflower seed - This seed is highly preferred by most bird species and can be put in almost any kind of feeder. There is striped and black oil sunflower seed. The black oil is the favorite of the following species: nuthatch, house finch, grosbeak, junco, chickadee, white-crowned sparrow, song sparrow, scrub jay, mourning dove, woodpeckers, pine siskin. The striped is favored by titmice and purple finches. You can also substitute sunflowers for safflower and pumpkin seed to mix things up a bit.

Credit: naturepods.com

• Mixed Seed - is what you usually buy from the store, your standard "wildbird seed." It contains mostly millet, sometimes cracked corn or peanut hearts and safflower seeds. This type of seed will attract mostly the the ground foraging birds such as: junco, towhee, mourning doves, sparrows, and pigeons (rock doves). Cracked corn will attract quail, red-winged blackbird as well.             

Credit: esbelleza.com

• Nyjer/Thistle - this is a very small black seed that you usually put in a finch sock or tube, which have very small holes to keep the seeds from falling out. This attracts birds that like to hang upside down especially gold finches and pine siskin.

Credit: commoditymarketing.com

• Suet - (pronounced: sue-et) is a special beef fat that is usually found in cakes/cubes and put in coated wire mesh holders and attached to trees. These are great to put out in cooler weather or in a shady spot so they do not melt, though there are suet cakes made especially for warmer areas and some that are mixed with fruits or seed to appeal to particular species. Suet will attract: titmice, chickadees, nuthatch, woodpeckers, flickers and scrub jays. Make sure to keep suet cakes in the fridge until you're ready to use it or it will go rancid.

Credit: birdseedexpress.com

• Nectar - Hummingbird nectar is easily made at home by boiling 4 parts water to 1 part sugar, letting it cool in the fridge and then filling feeders. Orioles will certainly drink this mixture too but prefer less sugary solutions so try a 5:1 or 6:1 mixture. Dyes are unnecessary and sometimes harmful to the birds so when buying store bought mixes opt for clear nectars.

Other non-traditional foods to offer:

• Mealworms - alive or freeze-dried in a shallow dish will make you the most popular backyard around. Many birds looove mealworms and will quickly gobble them up so put a few out at a time so not one birds eats them all. Shop for them here.
• Fresh Fruit - Fruit put out on skewers in trees or cut up in small pieces and put out in shallow bowls but watch these carefully as the fruit will spoil out in the sun fairly quickly. This will attract non-feeder birds like tanagers, thrushes, waxwings, robins, mockingbirds and catbirds. In the summer and fall there is a lot of fruit available naturally so this is a great treat to add to feeder areas in the winter and spring. 
• Grit - Because birds lack teeth adding grit to seed platforms and feeders will help the birds grind up the food in their gizzard. Broken oyster shell and "cuttlefish bone" are also great grit sources that also supplement their diet with necessary calcium. 

Credit: 3.bp.blogspot.com/

Cockatiel with cuttlefish bone for grit and calcium supplementation

**Tips & Tricks**

• Seeds can be purchased with seed hulls pre-removed but they are also more expensive - benefits include: less discarded or sprouted seeds and easier access to nutrition for smaller beaked birds
• Place a dish or try under a feeder to catch thrown or dropped seed. Spilled seed can attract mice and rats.
• Use a screen or cage around your feeder to keep out larger species like grackles and jays
• Move feeders to different places in the yard, trade out types of feeders and seed type to discourage voracious eaters and increase species variety
• Don't buy seed mixes with milo, very few species (except blackbirds) care for it and it will end up spilled all over your yard
• Make sure seed is stored in a cool, dry place and that feeders are cleaned regularly with hot water and unscented dish soap. 
• Hanging food holders on higher poles or surrounding them with baffling will discourage unwanted squirrels at your feeders
• Find more info on birding and feeders at the Audubon website

...keeping a bird feeder can be really fun and interactive so remember to have fun!!

---> Upcoming How To: Attract Birds to Your Yard 
Houses and Nesting Materials

California Wolf Center - Julian, CA

At the start of the New Year I set a goal to make this blog something bigger...more substantial. As a student of science I have an easy time observing what I see around me and being able to relate it to the bigger picture but I have become aware that many people have not developed this observational skill. A large portion of the public have an interest and concern for the world around them but with the news becoming increasingly more subjective, it has become difficult to identify what information can be taken as fact and what should be listened to with a grain of salt (or a handful). I would like to be a source of purely objective information on a variety of topics which concern the environment of which we are an integral piece. Because I can't be Wikipedia and in the interest of time and space, I will also point you towards legitimate resources which you can utilize to continue your own inquiries beyond what I share with you here. With that being said...

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<<remember to click on pictures to open the slide show>>

This post has been a long time coming (I know you all have been patiently waiting for some awesome pictures of wolves and I swear I won't disappoint) but it has proven harder to write than I had anticipated. Since I visited the Endangered Wolf Center in Missouri this last summer, I have been closely following the wolf reintroduction progress and the resulting public response. I have spent countless hours researching all sides of the story; reading everything from forum topics to peer review journals and I've been talking to a myriad of people from hunters to rehabilitators and wildlife managers to everyday citizens; all of their opinions have differed widely on this subject. Needless to say this is a hugely complicated issue, one which I simply can not summarize in a blog post (though I tried in quite a few drafts hahah) I've found that much of the uproar comes from the fact that many people don't see the issue from all sides, or refuse to. To effectively manage the population of wolves we need everyone on board and understanding of each others views. So I would like to share with you an experience I had with my boyfriend a couple months ago and at the end I will include some great links to resources which you can browse at your leisure.

Trevor and I had been dating for about four months when Christmas rolls around...so of course there's the big questions... what do I get him? Nothing too big (it's only been a few months!) but something that shows I appreciate him aaand even better if the gift is a gift for me too!! (don't shake your heads at me! you've all thought it) I had heard about the California Wolf Center and had thought of looking into it for possible internship experience but didn't remember this until the Almighty Groupon reminded me and got me a sweet deal on admission (1/2 off!) I knew Trevor loved wolves and had never seen any up close so it was perfect! Tickets were purchased and delivered with much appreciation and excitement and we began planning our little road trip out to Julian, CA. The little mountain town is about an hour drive east of San Diego and the road out to it winds through some gorgeous countryside.

We had a 2pm appointment (all tours require a reservation) at the Wolf Center for our tour so we left a couple hours early and slowly made our way out to Julian with a lunch stop at Dudley's Bakery. The food was divine and the deck provided a beautiful place to enjoy our meal and break from being in the car.

Around 1:15 we rolled into the quaint downtown of Julian and took a quick look around. We had to meet at the gate to check in for our tour at 1:30 so we departed Julian and continued a short ways out of town and met up with the rest of the visitors. After checking in with staff we followed the caravan down a long windy dirt road...the anticipation building by the second. We crested one final hill and there it was...a wolf!

I was so surprised to see one before we had even entered the compound and urged Trevor to stop and capture the moment (oh there were cars behind us? whatever, they can wait!) It was breathtaking and sad all at the same time, this was the first time Trevor (and probably most of the visitors) had seen a live wolf and it was in an enclosure. I thought of what it would have been like to spot these elusive predators out in their native range and how beautiful (and also frightening hah) those experiences must have been for those who were around when wolves roamed free. 

We continued down the dirt road and parked with the others, readying our gear and preparing ourselves for more wolves. Trevor was surprised to see so many people in our group (about 20-30), the CWC has been in Julian since 1977 and he never knew it was there even though he grew up nearby. We also noticed flocks of ravens circling the whole facility which inspired some questions we'd later ask about. 

A small path lead to a building and beyond that the wolf enclosures. As we approached the building we caught sight of another wild canine, a coyote (Canis latrans)

Lots of people consider coyotes a nuisance because they so often interact negatively with their pets/livestock but like wolves they are crucial to the ecosystem as pest control. They are highly adaptable and are surprisingly great swimmers. See more on coyote communication research here.

I loved the sign leading into the building. As someone who was fairly educated in wolves, I was hoping to learn something new about wolves.

Photo credit: Trevor Adler

Photo credit: Trevor Adler

The intern running the tour was really nice and funny as she joked about getting the boring stuff out of the way so we could see the wolves. But what she ended up teaching us was really interesting and everyone in the room got involved with the discussion. She first showed us a variety of canine and feline skulls and we discussed the differences in anatomy and what it told us about those animals. Check out the pictures below and see what you can pick up on:

Photo Credit: desertusa.com

Photo Credit: deer connecticutvalleybiological.com

Photo credit: Trevor Adler

We discussed how jaw muscles attached and how teeth and eye positioning told us more about how these animals hunted. This was pretty fascinating for me since comparative anatomy is something I've been studying in school and I appreciated that, like the sign had said, this was a place of science and education. The intern told us how public education was their main goal other than the daily care of the wolves and she went on to explain how wolf reintroduction has proven more successful than scientists first anticipated. Wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park in the mid 90's and what we learned was that the park was actually very sick. Check out this awesome graphic below for more info

Wolves have been termed "biodiversity engineers" and I think this picture says it all.

By the time the presentation was over we were a million times more excited to see the wolves. Not only were we intrigued by our initial interest but now we had ample knowledge about wolves which would help us truly appreciate this opportunity to see them. We exited the building and I was breaking my neck trying to spot one of them.

We watched them watching us. Mild curiosity on their side. I was a squirmy child all over again wanting to pet puppies (ok I've never really grown out of that) but I needed to get closer! The excitement in the group was palpable. Another volunteer, Heather, was our guide to the enclosures and gave us some great advice on where to photograph from and what to expect from the animals when we eventually approached the fence. 

Photo credit: Trevor Adler

She explained that Sundays were one of the two feeding days...which explained all the ravens. The silvery stuff in their beaks was actually stolen fish!

Photo credit: Trevor Adler

Apparently the CWC gets donations from the navy... in the form of fish :) Each of these wolves get a couple hundred pounds of food twice a week to simulate life in the wild where you aren't going to be eating every day. Wolves are omnivores and will eat anything from meat to berries to insects. The wolves we were allowed to view were those who were not necessarily imprinted but not scared enough of humans to be #1 candidates for release. These wolves were allowed to eat livestock meats, whereas, the wolves which were more likely to be released were not allowed certain meats so they wouldn't have the taste for them upon release. 

First we saw the Grey wolves (Canis lupus)... here are some of our favorite pictures.

I couldn't believe how close we were to them. No more than 3 feet as we watched them approach, check us out, mark the fence and then slowly amble away and return to their naps. Some of them looked fierce and intimidating, others were timid and stayed under the shade of the furthest trees. Overall, I got the feeling that they were much like any dog you'd see at the park...just much bigger.

 

Photo credit: Trevor Adler

Photo credit: Trevor Adler

Photo credit: Trevor Adler

These two were the most recent pups (pretty grown up already) and we enjoyed watching them move in complete unison as the approached the fence then they split up walking opposite side of the fence. We had learned about all the non verbal communication that goes on between wolf pack members and it was really neat to see that in action.

Photo credit: Trevor Adler

Photo credit: Trevor Adler

Photo credit: Trevor Adler

Photo credit: Trevor Adler

She then lead us to see the Mexican Grey wolves (Canis lupus baileyi). I didn't quite catch why, but this waiting area to see the Mexican greys was smaller and the fence it was next to was shielded by a few conifers which restricted our view of the entire enclosure.

Photo credit: Trevor Adler

This was a little upsetting as we wanted some up close interaction with these wolves like we had with the others but we ended up getting some beautiful pictures that seemed to capture their mystique.

Photo credit: Trevor Adler

Photo credit: Trevor Adler

Photo credit: Trevor Adler

The Mexican Grey is a subspecies of the Grey wolf. Meaning they are the same species but because the Mexican Grey reside strictly in the Southwest United States and into Northern Mexico they have become their own separate population and have evolved some physical differences. If you take a look at the pictures you can see that the Mexican Grey is smaller and their coats are reddish, much like the deserts they come from. This subspecies is still highly endangered and their reintroduction is what is of the most concern to conservation efforts at this point as there are only 83 Mexican Grey wolves in the wild. This sounds like such a small number...and it is, but what can be appreciated is that this population has grown from 7 individuals which were rescued from the wild and brought into breeding programs in the 70's. While this species survival is still tenuous the progress made so far speaks volumes of the wonderful work these facilities are doing to reverse the damage humans have done to the wolves. I was so excited to have the opportunity to see such a rare species and learn more about how important their reintroduction is to the ecosystem as a whole. 

The tour ended shortly after seeing the Mexican Grey wolves and we stuck around talking to staff about returning for more opportunities to film and work with their facility. We reluctantly walked back to our car and drove back into town still in awe. Neither one of us had words to adequately describe how we were feeling or what to think about what we had just experienced. What hit me the hardest was the thought that wolves have been on the brink of extinction for as long as I have been alive and in the last 5 years have we heard about a wolf entering California. That means very few people in my generation have ever seen a wolf in real life. We've seen lions and tigers and hundreds of other animals not native to this continent but never a wolf!

The one thing that CWC made clear on our tour was that wolves didn't need habitat or resource restoration (like we see with many endangered species) but instead they only need public education and support for their reintroduction. But how is the public supposed to care about wolves when the majority haven't witnessed their power and grace and grown to appreciate them like I have?!

This is a question I continue to ponder and a problem I hope to help resolve in the future. I leave it up to you readers to care enough to go see the wolves and support their conservation.

I've included numerous links to information on where you can get up close with wolves, how different states are responding to reintroduction of wolves, and more resources on everything wolves. This list will be growing as I continue to find locations and relevant news so check back! If there's anything I've left out that you'd like to know about, leave me a little comment and I'll find the information for you!

Enjoy :)

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I love this video. That's it.

• Want to know how to compare and identify a wolf versus a coyote? Check out this link.

• Humans and wolves share some deep roots. Look at this site for more information on myths surrounding wolves.

• Have you seen wild animal cruelty in your town/neighborhood? WildLeaks is a new whistleblower site to report wildlife and forest crime.

• This is a very interesting article by BBC Nature on the reintroduction of wolves in Europe. Looks like it is a hot debate there too. Check it out here and see how opinions vary.

• I loved this piece put out by Montana wolf management. It's a great objective piece with a look at both side of the controversy and where we might find middle ground.

• Idaho used to be one of the biggest fighters for wolf reintroduction and now face the reality of their decision. See where they are now.

• I'm not a huge supporter of Defender's of Wildlife because they are a little too conservative for my tastes but they put out some great literature to help ranchers utilize non lethal solutions to wolf conflicts with their herd.

• This is a lengthy and sometime dull peer review paper about the attitudes of reintroduction of the wolf in Scotland where the red deer population is out of control. If you have some spare time I encourage you to give it a good scan. 

• The Grey wolf is facing the possibility of being delisted as an Endangered Species but the Mexican grey wolf is still highly endangered. Check out this comprehensive report that was published by a 3rd party on the US Fish and Wildlife's decision to delist.

Backyard Birding - Red-tailed hawk

I was going through my pictures a few weeks ago, reminiscing on my recent adventures and trying to figure out what I wanted to share with you all and I realized the vast majority of my photos are of birds!! Haha Not even surprising I know ;) So I'm back to share more of my backyard birding adventures and hopefully get you intrigued about all those strange creatures that fill up the skies and make a mess on your freshly washed car.

If you're hyper-curious like me you might have noticed a lot of large soaring birds in the sky lately. Maybe it looked something like this...?

If you're not the type to actively look for birds or have never witnessed one of these aerial displays, I encourage you to pay extra attention to the sky over the next few weeks as these are typical courtship dances exhibited by North America's most common raptor.

The Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

 Before getting into wildlife rehabilitation I had absolutely no idea that these birds of prey were common place in my own town and throughout most of the United States. Raptor is a name given to hawks but it is a term that includes falcons, kites. eagles, vultures and owls and there are at least 30 species of raptors that reside in California at some point during their lifetime! A few years have passed since I was first introduced to Red-tailed hawks and learned to appreciate them for their strength and........superiority complex haha no joke! Hawks (and raptors in general) have this way of posturing while you restrain them, that says "I'm not afraid of you! Please give me a reason to prove it, I dare you!" hahah I love it! And that attitude is part of what makes them successful birds of prey.

Now that I'm back in school I can only appreciate them from afar and unfortunately you can't always spot these wide ranging hawks from your backyard lounge chair so the boyfriend and I took a nice leisurely hike through Border Field State Park in San Diego, CA to hopefully get some intimate shots of these amazing predators.

Trevor and I have been steadily improving our bird identification skills and I've been helping him learn the hawks and falcons we see quite often around San Diego. So here are a few tips and tricks to help you beginning birders and hopefully the more experienced birders will get a good refresher and learn a couple new things too. 

The easiest way to identify the Red-tailed hawk is by their characteristic red tail feathers! 

Photo cred: Trevor Adler

Especially easy to spot while they are in flight.

Photo cred: Trevor Adler

Plumage varies greatly with this hawk species and can cause some confusion with other raptors. Sometimes their tail feathers aren't very red but more of a washed out pink depending where the hawk resides. The red tail is an indication that the bird is an adult so the juveniles actually have dark banded tails. There are light, rufous (red) and dark morphs and depending on what region of North America the hawk resides in there are variations within these morphs. Age is another factor in plumage and if the hawk is going through a seasonal molt you might see some interesting variations in feather color and length. (All good things to keep in mind with bird watching)

Photo Cred: Donald Metzner, Dec 2007

Rufous adult 

Photo Cred: Christine Haines, Feb 2007

Dark morph adult 

Photo cred: animals.nationalgeographic.com

All of this variation aside, there are a quite a few indicators, other than the red tail, that what you're seeing is indeed a Red-tailed hawk. 

1.) Size: The large females weigh in at about 3+ lbs with a wingspan of roughly 4 ft. Many people will misidentify these hawks as eagles at first sight because they look that massive in the sky but if you're any where near a city you can almost guarantee it is a Red-tail. 

           (Bald Eagles weigh in around 8lbs and have a wingspan of about 6.5 ft. so once you see an eagle you will most likely not make that mistake again)

Photo cred: Trevor Adler

 

2.) Pale Chest and Belly bands: Unless you spot one of the rufous or dark morphs you'll be able to identify a Red-tailed hawk by the white chest from quite a distance. This plumage varies from bird to bird. Many will sport a dark band across the belly while others can be completely white. Juvenile hawks usually have darker chests and tend to be harder to identify in general, especially if you're just starting out or are not familiar with similar hawk species.

Photo cred: Trevor Adler

 
Photo cred: Trevor Adler

3.) Dark bars: If you spot a hawk soaring above you or can't quite see the tail color in poor light, look for dark bars on the underside of their wings. Bars between the shoulder and wrist (carpals) and along the leading edge of the wings (it's "fingers" or primary flight feathers) are noticeably darker than the rest of the wing. 

 
Photo cred: Trevor Adler

4.) Shape while in flight: Buteos have broader, rounder wings and short, wide tails. If you see a big bird soaring without flapping its wings too much then you can narrow it down to this genus and then double check for other key field markings mentioned above. 

Hawk identification is a whole field in itself but as you learn what species inhabit your area and practice identification then you will steadily improve. Big time hawk watchers are highly skilled at accurately identifying hawks from a half mile away from profile shape and movement. If this is something you're interested in learning, I suggest picking up a copy of Hawks from Every Angle by Jerry Ligouri. I just picked up my own copy at Barnes and Nobles for about $20. I can't wait to delve into it!

Photo cred: Trevor Adler

 
Photo cred: Trevor Adler

While it is extremely valuable to be able to identify hawks from a distance (they don't often let you get too close) it is a rare treat to see one up close and appreciate the detail in their structure and plumage. We first spotted a Red-tail on a telephone pole on our drive into the park. She sat there and checked us out while we snapped a few underside shots of her but another Red-tailed hawk we found hanging out on this fence inside the park and she let us get extremely close while we captured these amazing shots. Check them out!

 
Photo cred: Trevor Adler

Those talons are no joke! Hawks use their talons to restrain prey while they use their beak to do all the delicious tearing and munching ;) Yummm

Getting up close and personal but still keeping safety in mind. Look at her sticking out her chest. Such proud, beautiful....cocky animals :P

 
Photo cred: Trevor Adler

I loved this shot because she looks so mean with her 3rd eyelid (nictitating membrane) closing. But really it's just the way birds keep their eyes debris free.

Photo cred: Trevor Adler

I think we took at least 300 pictures of hawks during that day of hiking and saw a species I'd never seen before, the Northern Harrier (more on him later) and now that we know what to look for, I swear we see at least 20 hawks on a simple drive through town. The sky is absolutely bursting with life and energy. While you enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend (I'm talking to my California people ;) but everyone else having actual winter should do this too!) spend some time looking up and see if you can pick out hawks hanging out in your town! Keep scrolling down to read more interesting facts about hawks and check out the links I provided if you'd like to learn even more :)

Cheers!!!

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Things You Didn't Know About Red-tailed Hawks

• These hawks will take prey items from as small as an ounce up to five pounds, usually small mammals, but it's very rare that they will pick up a dog, cat or small birds.
• Red-tailed hawks often mate for life or until one of the pair dies. Their courtship dances are quite a spectacle that often ends with them clasping talons as they plummet toward the ground where they fly apart.
• Young red-tailed hawks are covered in white, downy feathers (as seen below). Both parents participate in feeding and care of the young until about 6-weeks when they fledge (when flight muscles and feathers are developed enough for flight)

Photo cred: Trevor Adler

• Hawks are important members of the ecosystem and function as a steady pest control service
• Sexual dimorphism (clear physical differences between males and females of a species) is displayed by most raptors, including the Red-tailed hawk. Females are usually easier to identify because they are about 25% larger than the males.

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Now that you've learned so many cool/new things about the Red-tailed Hawk you're probably asking a couple of obvious questions. Such as:

1.) Where can I go to see these awesome birds of prey?

Red-tailed hawks are birds of open country so you probably won't see them in your backyard ...unless you have quite a big backyard or you have big trees lining your property. Look for them while you're out driving; they will be perched on telephone poles, trees, and fence posts searching the ground for their next meal. You will also be able to spot them soaring in wide circles by themselves or with a partner. These are the most common raptor here in North America so you should be able to easily spot quite a few if you're paying attention. 

2.) I'd love to get up close and personal. How can I get my hands on a hawk?

Getting hands on with a bird of prey is no small task and takes ample training to handle them safely and confidently. But if this is something you'd really like to learn to do there are quite a few avenues for training in raptor care and handling (see additional links below)

 ** WARNING: It is never a good idea to purposely pursue a hawk to handle it for entertainment, especially if you do not have the proper training and knowledge. Mishandling of any wildlife is not only dangerous to you but to the animal. If you find wildlife that looks injured or distressed please contact your local wildlife center/veterinarian/animal services to assist in its possible transport to the nearest certified rehabilitator**

• Volunteer for seasonal Raptor Banding - There are many raptor conservation groups which take volunteers to help with regular banding activities. Training is usually in the summer and banding starts in the fall when migrations begin and influx of raptors can be expected as they head south. You usually have to be over 18 for banding. Many other Audubon and ornithological societies sponsor bird banding activities and trainings if you would like to start with smaller birds and work up.

• Volunteer at a Wildlife Center - I started out volunteering 4 hours a week for 6 months at a wildlife rehabilitation center and they gave me my first experience handling raptors from small White-tailed kites to huge Turkey vultures. At other hospitals I was eventually trained to handle bald eagles. Basic training is required to become an animal care volunteer and additional training is provided when you're ready to work with raptor species. This is a great opportunity if you are interested in the husbandry/medical side of wildlife care or if you're considering a career in veterinary sciences. 

• Research falconry - For those of you who know you love hunting and raptors, falconry might be something you would want to look into. It is quite a long process to become a falconer but I have met quite a few and it seems to be a very enjoyable experience. See the links below for more information on falconry. It's not my area of expertise so please do your research before you determine it is something you'd like to invest in. 

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Additional Info

• Interested in Falconry? - check out the California Hawking Club for more information on how to get involved and the whole process.

• Live in CA and want to volunteer with wildlife? Check out the California Council for Wildlife Rehabiliation. They have a job board that is great for looking for jobs and volunteer opportunities near you. For all of you out of state check out The National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association. Other opportunities can be found at local natural centers and zoos. Find what is in your town and get involved!

• The Western Bird Banding Association compiled a great list for western US banding opportunities check it out here.

• For job opportunities and also volunteer postings (anywhere in the US) for everything ornithological (bird-related) check out the OSNA job board as well. Also, look around your community for bird banding activities at local parks, sanctuaries, and research centers. There are so many opportunities to get hands on with wildlife!

• This team at Southern Ohio did research on nesting behaviors in urban Red-tailed hawks. Give it a read and see what they found out!

• I just found out about this new hobby? or adventure opportunity? called Parahawking that combines falconry and paragliding! Right now it's only available in Nepal but apparently it's coming to the US?!! Kinda really excited about this :)