Date: 7/14/25 10:24 pm From: Zac Denning via groups.io <zdenning1...> Subject: [EBB-Sightings] Movement of Red-tailed Hawks in Numbers in Wildcat Canyon
Yesterday, Jack Hayden and I birded Wildcat Regional Park from the Rifle Range Rd trailhead, covering portions of the Leonard trail (above Wildcat Trail) as well as the wooded east-west draws to either side of Leonard trail. It was a rewarding morning, with a high count of Lazuli Buntings, lots of Grasshopper Sparrows, close views of some very tame fledgling Rufous-crowned Sparrows, Ash-throated Flycatchers (in a previously documented breeding location), a kestrel, a male Western Tanager and an inadvertently flushed Great Horned Owl.
But one thing that seemed notable, was seeing Red-tailed Hawks moving in numbers that I'd usually associate with migration here in Sep-Oct. We'd been seeing 1-3 at a time throughout the morning (on perhaps 5 occasions), including 2 adults and one juvenile which we presumed were local breeders and their youngster.
As we returned along Wildcat Trail towards the bottom of Rifle Range Trail at around 11:30am, we were surprised to see a kettle of 8 Red-taileds soaring together, all adults! We at first only noticed a few of them, but the more we scanned that area of sky, the more we found. As we scanned much further to the south, we picked up an additional 2 more adults in that direction - with all 10 visible at once. Those birds were all moving SSE, soaring in circles, and as we walked back along Wildcat Trail, they disappeared from view far to the south. Perhaps 10 minutes later, we saw 2 additional adult Red-taileds, these much closer and moving east to west with more direct flight, obviously not part of the first large group.
Since before 11:30am, a juvenile had also been insistently screeching nonstop from a perch in the eucalyptus grove to the west of us, bringing the total to at least 13 unique individuals that we were sure of! To avoid double counting, we included only the 13 that we knew were unique individuals, though there could have been more.
Has anyone else been seeing Red-taileds in numbers? I read on Birds of the World that their migration is complex, but migration is generally described as starting later - with the earliest movements starting with birds much further to the north as I understand it. I'd be curious if anyone has insight into what's happening here, or if there's some precedent for a mid-July movement of Red-taileds?
Here's a link to our checklist, including photos and recordings of some of the highlights, as well as 2 of the Red-taileds seen before 11:30am (one adult, one juvie): https://ebird.org/checklist/S259657947
