t’s about the middle of January and my 2025 bird list has stalled.
The juncos, cardinals, starlings, chickadees and blue jays are feasting at my feeders, and probably yours as well.
The likelihood of me adding new species to my list is almost nil. In January and February, we won’t really have any migrating birds “showing up” until maybe an early red-winged blackbird or a turkey vulture slips north over the Blue Mountain.
However, this is the time that I add a few of our raptors to my list.
One reason for that is that without foliage on the trees now, it is rather easy to spot a hawk perched looking for a meal. A second reason is all your small birds making forays to your feeders will draw the attention of some local hawks.
No matter, I thought this would be a good time to review some of the raptors that you too can find in the dead of winter. If we get a deeper snow cover, I sometimes even get to see a screech owl perched along a secondary road near some exposed ground or gliding through my headlights’ glow.
This is also an ideal time to get a glimpse of a bald eagle or two. I regularly spy one perched on the monopoles carrying power lines through Lehigh Gap. If the river gets ice covered, I don’t even look for them there until the river reopens.
But remember, even though fish are their primary food, bald eagle are carrion eaters as well. I saw one last week feeding on a deer roadkill that was only 30 or 40 feet off the road’s shoulder. So, in the dead of winter, what you think might be vultures feasting on a dead animal in a field 100 yards away, look again and they are probably eagles.
Red-tailed hawks are the most commonly seen winter hawk, mostly because they’ve adapted so well to feeding near roadsides, or even major highways. They are looking for meadow voles, and the highway crews generally keep the grass shorter on the berms or cloverleafs and food is “easier picking.”
Get out there, and keep those nature eyes open.
Test Your Outdoor Knowledge: A few weeks ago, my column covered some hibernators. What is the term used to describe a black bear’s gorging on as much food as possible beginning months before denning for the winter? A. anoxia; B. hyperphagia; C. gluttony; D. bulimia.
Last Week’s Trivia Answer: It may sound unusual, but even though the male cone’s pollen is carried by the breezes to the female cones, it is best that the male pollen from one tree actually pollinates female cones on another tree. So male cones are generally on the lower branches, with the female cones closer to the tree’s top.
Email Barry Reed at breed71@gmail.com
Our local bald eagles will remain here throughout the winter, and in fact, are probably putting finishing touches to their existing nests in preparation for egg laying shortly. Look for them perched near open water or even feeding on carrion. BARRY REED/SPECIAL TO THE TIMES NEWS
Don’t overlook what looks like a slightly overgrown robin perched on a utility line. Our smallest falcon, the American kestrel can still be seen throughout the winter. They now will often perch on wires, like this one, or another vantage point often near where snow has melted and they can find their favored winter food, the meadow vole.
If you have bird feeders, I’ll bet you’ve seen Cooper’s hawks chasing the songbirds or even feeding on one that wasn’t alert enough to flee. This is a photo of a juvenile “Coop.”
This photo is an adult Cooper’s hawk. If you look closely, you can see a blood stain on its breast feathers from a recent successful feeding. As I was typing this, one scattered the birds at my feeders.
Although only a few may nest in our region, a red-shouldered hawk will occasionally find a feeding area to its liking and remain there for weeks. I have found a red-shouldered hawk the past three winters perched near a spring-fed pond where it apparently has been finding small rodents. This photo was taken on a bright, but very cold late January day. Note its fluffed feathers.
The most observed winter raptor is probably the red-tailed hawk. This adult “redtail” was perched in an oak tree, but more often than not, look for them on a utility pole, light standard or even roadside traffic sign, where they search for voles. Note the auburn-colored tail (not really red) of the adult.
Although dwindling in numbers, harriers may be found perched on the ground or flying within feet of a field’s surface looking for voles or small birds. This is a male harrier, often nicknamed the gray ghost.
Although this photo was taken in spring, barred owls can be found in mixed woodlands, often near a water source. They are more likely seen in the daytime than its chief competitor, the great horned owl. The leafless trees will make its identification easier now.
Our second smallest falcon, the merlin, shown here, will probably return north through our region in the next few weeks. They also like to perch on a dead snag or atop a utility pole, waiting to dart off after some prey.
The bare trees may reveal last year’s red-tailed hawk nests about 40 or more feet above the ground. Often, great horned owls will claim them, and in about a week or two will be sitting on eggs. Look for their characteristic ear tufts above the nest’s rim.
A short quiz: One of my photos in this column showed an adult of this species. What is this juvenile raptor?