Saw this in my front yard today.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

Actually, this beautiful bird was eating a local critter for about three hours.

I went to the gun show, Lowe's, Krogers and Walgreen and the rascal was

still feeding. What kind of hawk is this?

I stood behind the car and took a few pictures. These were the best of the batch. First time I saw one

in my front yard feasting. My wife was worried the pet groundhogs might have been the victims, but I

don't think they were it. Looked like it might have been a squirrel. We have plenty of those guys.

Edited October 21, 2012 by 6.8 AR

[R_Bert]

red-tailed

http://www.tnwatchab...Red-tailed Hawk

Edited October 21, 2012 by R_Bert

[Oh Shoot]

Red tailed. Our most common hawk, and the most beautiful and dramatic, IMO.

I have them occasionally right here in the urb. A couple of times I've seen them swoop and take birds just feet away from me at my feeder stations on the back veranda. One struck at a dove, missed, and settled for a house finch, so he wasn't gonna stay full very long.

Hard to get a size reference from your pics, but seems that one may only be about half grown.

- OS

[Garufa]

Hawks are cool.

OS, have you ever seen the Peregrines that hang out downtown? I saw one take out a pigeon in flight one day.

[Oh Shoot]

Hawks are cool.

OS, have you ever seen the Peregrines that hang out downtown? I saw one take out a pigeon in flight one day.

Yeah, I have, but not for some time. Never seen one do a kill, though.

The Sheraton had a long time family living there, maybe still?

Grew up fishing near Osprey nest on Watts Bar, too. Have seem them take fish many times.

- OS

Edited October 21, 2012 by OhShoot

[TMF]

2nd on red tailed hawk. You can't see the red how he's sitting.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

He looked over at me a few times and just went back to eating. First one I've seen that close to the house.

I have plenty of critters, but they usually hang out in the back yard. About an acre downtown on Madison

Street. My son said he thought we had three or four groundhogs back there. The squirrels appreciate the

walnut trees. My own little jungle. Every year I try to have a garden, but the critters get to it, first.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

Red tailed. Our most common hawk, and the most beautiful and dramatic, IMO.

I have them occasionally right here in the urb. A couple of times I've seen them swoop and take birds just feet away from me at my feeder stations on the back veranda. One struck at a dove, missed, and settled for a house finch, so he wasn't gonna stay full very long.

Hard to get a size reference from your pics, but seems that one may only be about half grown.

- OS

He was big, Mac. I'd guess that pic of him standing upright was close to a foot tall. How tall do they get?

[Oh Shoot]

My own little jungle. Every year I try to have a garden, but the critters get to it, first...

Trick is to just plant enough they can't eat it all. That's advice from previous laziest gardener in TN. Weeding is for obsessive compulsive types too, IMNSHO.

Our birds of prey can really adapt. I was on a walk and watched for a bit a huge redtail sitting on top of light stanchion on one of busiest roads in Chattanooga a few months ago. Was eating a mouse or something he'd caught.

- OS

[gregintenn]

Nice pic of a redtail hawk. He doesn't look quite mature to me either. Mature retails have been known to carry off adult chickens.

[TMF]

Nice pic of a redtail hawk. He doesn't look quite mature to me either. Mature retails have been known to carry off adult chickens.

Oh yeah, I've seen that play out several times on my grandparents ranch when I was a kid. Seen an equal number of them just get severely maimed and have to be put down and eaten for supper.

[Oh Shoot]

He was big, Mac. I'd guess that pic of him standing upright was close to a foot tall. How tall do they get?

About twice that in body height. And wing span can be dang near eagle size, like near 5 feet!

- OS

[Guest 6.8 AR]

Wow! Didn't know that. I've usually seen them from a distance out in the country and they look big from a distance.

[Guest 6.8 AR]

As far as a garden goes, my back yard is like a jungle with canopy and only a tall sun gets in. Since we've lived in

this house, I think I have successfully grown maybe five or six tomatoes. Got a few onions growing occasionally.

Not much of a green thumb here and I'm with you on the weeding.

[peejman]

Beautiful bird!

About twice that in body height. And wing span can be dang near eagle size, like near 5 feet!

- OS

And the funny part is, most people assume a bird that big is heavy. A really big female red-tailed hawk weighs a whopping 4 lbs.

We have a resident Cooper's Hawk that occasionally takes a dove off our bird feeders. My parents live on the lake in Soddy Daisy and regularly see the resident Bald Eagle pair.

Edited October 22, 2012 by peejman

[mikegideon]

A pet groundhog ain't the best idea anyway. They all need a good dose of VMax.

[UncleJak]

I was taught the easiet way to tell if a red tail hawk was mature was to look at its tail. The one in the photo has a kinda red tail. A fully matured one has a really red tail. I think that is the scientific method.

I also heard if you put salt on its tail, you can catch it....

[QuietDan]

We have a Hawk just like yours in our neighborhood that often makes a play for the birds eating at the feeders in the Crepe Myrtle in our front yard: Cardinals, Doves, Sparrows, Blackbirds and Blue Jays. The Blue Jays are like an early warning system, with a loud call that sound just like "Hawwwk!, Hawwwk!" and all the little birds scatter. The Jays stay in the tree where the Hawk can't get 'em. Three Jays will take on a Hawk. It is a sight to see.

Edited October 22, 2012 by QuietDan

[Guest 6.8 AR]

I was run out of the yard of my uncle's house by a couplae of bluejays when I was a little kid. I can imagine.

[peejman]

I was taught the easiet way to tell if a red tail hawk was mature was to look at its tail. The one in the photo has a kinda red tail. A fully matured one has a really red tail. I think that is the scientific method.

I also heard if you put salt on its tail, you can catch it....

True about the tails. Same as with bald eagles, it takes several years for the red tail or white head to develop. An immature red tail can be easily mistaken for a red shouldered hawk.

[TMF]

An immature red tail can be easily mistaken for a red shouldered hawk.

That's what I was gonna call it at first, but his belly is way too light.

[Caster]

Thats awesome.

We have some Coopers hawks here. They rock!

[Guest 6.8 AR]

I hope he sticks around, too. I love watching those guys hunt. They are awesome.

[E4 No More]

Red tailed. Our most common hawk, and the most beautiful and dramatic, IMO.

I have them occasionally right here in the urb. A couple of times I've seen them swoop and take birds just feet away from me at my feeder stations on the back veranda. One struck at a dove, missed, and settled for a house finch, so he wasn't gonna stay full very long.

Hard to get a size reference from your pics, but seems that one may only be about half grown.

- OS

This! My favorite bird of prey. They are all over the place in Missouri. We used to live in an apartment building that was up against an old farm pond. There was a really loud bull-frog back there. I was sitting on the balcony watching a hawk circle above the pond. Next thing I know he folds his wings and dives for the pond. He came up with the loudmouth frog. Aww, peace and quiet.

[mikegideon]

This! My favorite bird of prey. They are all over the place in Missouri. We used to live in an apartment building that was up against an old farm pond. There was a really loud bull-frog back there. I was sitting on the balcony watching a hawk circle above the pond. Next thing I know he folds his wings and dives for the pond. He came up with the loudmouth frog. Aww, peace and quiet.

I've silenced a few bullfrogs myself. They shut up when you stick them in the face with a frog gig. Kinda tastes like chicken