Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Red-Tailed Hawks in Fremont California Skies

The red-tailed hawk is found all through the United States, Canada, Mexico and even in Central America.  Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, I have had the pleasure of living in what has to be one of the red-tailed hawk's favorite places to live and raise their young, Fremont, CA.

Fremont's terrain encompasses wetlands that begin at the sloughs like Newark Slough, Plummer Slough, Mowry Slough and Mud Slough, then gradually lifts to become landscape for creeks like Alameda, Morrison, Vargas and Mission and approximately 7 others to the south. It is a great environment for mice, gophers, snakes, rabbits and many other types of prey.

If you have ever heard a distinct screech in the sky in early July, you may be the hearing young red-tailed hawks having a go at producing the bona fide sound that only the older or adult  red-tails can do. (YouTube short clip above--thanks to timsueoc~Tucka, the red-tailed hawk screaming over his quail dinner. 

As a Fremont real estate agent, http://www.tricityhome.com/ I usually comment and write posts about what is happening on land. I am not an expert on birds, nor is this an exhaustive read on the red-tailed hawk to be sure, but it may shed light on what is happening in our Fremont skies this time of year.

Growing up, I have always had a fascination for birds of prey. That has not changed, and you can always count on me pointing out hawks, harriers and the like to anyone near me at their time of discovery.

My wife and kids may think I focus a bit much on them, but to me, seeing a raptor perched or in flight is truly amazing.  

By the way, if you were wondering where most "eagle" sound bites come from, like Stephen Colbert's Colbert Nation. (the intro with the bald eagle flying in), those are red-tailed hawk screeches, not an eagle's. As big as they are, golden and bald eagles more or less chirp, albeit a very loud chirp, they chirp none the less.

Here is the red-tailed hawk NatGeo link for a bit more. Still more on birds AudobonBy Jeff Pereyda

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