Woodpeckers and the Hunting Hawk

A good flock of birds was foraging in Palm Cemetery today. Mostly Palm Warblers and Chipping Sparrows but there were also a lot of noisy Red-bellied Woodpeckers trolling through the branches. They would stop at certain spots and flick their tongues into crevices searching for bugs.



Many folks are confused by the name Red-bellied Woodpecker since they rarely see them from underneath. They generally hug the trunks of trees as they search around. Here is a blurry shot showing the seldom seen red belly.



I followed a small shape darting between shrubs and was greeted by a chirping Carolina Wren. It was difficult to get a shot through the foliage but I did get at least an identifiable snap.



As I was trying to get a shot of the Chipping sparrows I saw a quick moving shape coming out of the shadows as the birds all bolted. It was a Red-tailed Hawk flying at waist level and it passed within 4 feet of me. Once it landed, I crept up to take a few shots.



Then, it did something I had never seen before. It walked up along the branch and hopped up to the crook of the oak where a squirrels nest was in plain view. It then started stomping on the nest!



This went on for a few minutes as it tried to see if anyone was home.



An amazing behavior to witness. The hawk soon flew to another tree to preen before heading off in search of food.