Kid Redtails

Arthur Pack Park Sunday evening was nearly deserted, just a few golfers and a zillion Gambel’s Quail families still out and about. Old habit made me scan the unnatural green of the golf course, and I saw something big and white galoomphing along through the grass–a Red-tailed Hawk. At first I worried that it was hurt (haven’t golfers been known to, you know), but it quickly became apparent that it was just, ahem, stupid, blundering about after the round-tailed ground-squirrels and the Great-tailed Grackles, none of whom seemed at all concerned.

A harsh scream almost immediately cleared the situation up: an adult, a lovely fuertesi Red-tail, was perched on a telephone pole in the parking lot, watching fretfully over the kids out on the golf course. There were two juveniles, one large, one small, and eventually both joined their nervous parent on the wires.

Safely off the ground, you’d think they had nothing to worry about, but no, the little birds of the desert gathered and finally chased the family off, flying off into the ironwood brush trailing a mob of Bronzed Cowbirds, European Starlings, House Finches, Northern Mockingbirds, and Purple Martins–not a bad day’s list, but probably less enjoyable for the red-tails than for me!