Date: 7/15/25 1:13 pm From: Zac Denning via groups.io <zdenning1...> Subject: Re: [EBB-Sightings] Movement of Red-tailed Hawks in Numbers in Wildcat Canyon
Thanks Mike for sharing! It's interesting to see that others have noticed
similar Red-tailed groupings. As Dominick mentioned, it seems plausible
that local territorial pairs and/or juveniles might soar together in
favorable conditions (to reestablish territories or hierarchies), before
returning to their territories. It was certainly interesting to watch.
Thanks all for the comments - this is a nice learning opportunity for me.
Happy birding,
Zac
On Tue, Jul 15, 2025 at 11:12 AM Mike & Linda via groups.io <llc_mgk=
<comcast.net...> wrote:
> I forgot to report that most (if not all) of the redtails in both
> gatherings were juveniles. The social interactions we observed in 2019
> make me wonder if they might pair-up before dispersing.
> Mike
>
>
> On Jul 15, 2025 10:57 AM, Dominik Mosur <dominikmosur...> wrote:
>
> This sounds like a convention of local birds taking advantage of favorable
> flight conditions getting together in a little community meeting and
> re-establishing territorial boundaries rather than a migratory movement.
>
> DM
>
> On Tue, Jul 15, 2025 at 10:54 AM Mike & Linda via groups.io <llc_mgk=
> <comcast.net...> wrote:
>
> My wife and I have witnessed two similar gatherings of red-tailed hawks,
> both at this time of year.
>
> On the morning of 7/17/2019 I noticed 6 redtails flying over our yard and
> the hill behind our house. A while later, my wife returned from an errand
> and reported that their were lots of redtails soaring above Cummings
> Skyway. As we stood in our yard and watched, we realized that we were
> seeing more than 20 redtails at one time. I was able to count 17 with
> confidence three different times. That was in one area and I could see
> several more redtails by turning my head in either direction. They were
> soaring, swooping, and diving at high speed, sometimes across our deck
> right over our heads. They also interacted in mid-air. Chasing each other
> and sometimes rolling onto their backs to show their talons, or coming
> together "face-to-face", hovering briefly and then falling away. It was
> lovely and thrilling to see!
>
> On the morning of 7/16/2023 I noticed 5 red-tailed hawks over our yard and
> the hill behind our house. More had joined by late morning and I was able
> to confidently count 9 redtails two different times. There may have been
> more. They did occasionally swoop over our deck, but we did not witness
> any of the social interactions that we had seen in 2019.
>
> Mike Kellogg
> Tormey (between Rodeo and Crockett)
>
>
> On Jul 14, 2025 10:40 PM, "Zac Denning via groups.io" <zdenning1=
> <gmail.com...> wrote:
>
> PS:
> Modest correction to the timing / numbers in my email below: I realized
> that the first group of soaring birds was 8 (6 together plus 2 further to
> the south) and that we saw 4 additional along Rifle Range instead of 2 as
> I said (plus the screeching juvenile). The overall count of 13 was the
> same, but I misrepresented when 2 of them were seen. Sorry about that.
>
> Zac Denning
> Albany
>
> On Mon, Jul 14, 2025 at 10:24 PM Zac Denning via groups.io <zdenning1=
> <gmail.com...> wrote:
>
> 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 >
> Happy birding,
>
> Zac Denning
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