Birdwatch
Broad-Winged Hawk Magnificent hunters in one’s own backyard
By Susan Campbell
Moving means so many things: like
meeting new neighbors. Yes, it may be the family next door or the couple across the street — but there are others in the community: yes, the local wildlife. My recent relocation from a lake in Whispering Pines to a farm in Southern Pines has radically changed what’s outside my windows — and doors. Instead of looking out over open water, here I am adjacent to a small creek and a floodplain. The swampy woods are teeming with birds, all drawn to the abundance of food. Nowadays, insects are the order of the day.
One species in particular has caught my eye and particularly seems to enjoy the diversity of prey in the swampy terrain: the broad-winged hawk. Mind you, I do not see these diminutive but magnificent birds regularly, but, as with so many birds during the breeding season, I hear them advertising their presence. Their call is a high pitched whistle, unlike any other bird in our area. Being heard and not seen may be a strategy for these birds, since they are relatively small in size: close to that of a crow. Often living within the boundaries of other, larger hawks, such as a red-shouldered (the case in my neighborhood), being less visible is a distinct advantage. Not surprisingly, given their size, broad-wingeds often go unnoticed.
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They are birds of the forest and, given their dark coloration, blend in well with their surroundings. But that doesn’t mean they’re drab. These stocky little hawks have reddish heads and handsome barred underparts that match their boldly barred tails. But only the keenest of birders will probably spot them unless they’re migrating, when they congregate in large numbers (even into the thousands) in certain locations. At these raptor “hot spots” the birds can be seen soaring in circles, forming large “kettles,” on updrafts, gaining altitude early in the day. Broad-wingeds, like many other hawks, use upper air currents to make their long journey a bit easier. Unlike most of our local hawk species, these birds move back and forth between the Eastern United State and central to northern South America during the year. Here in the Piedmont, the species can be found in hardwood or mixed pine-hardwood forest. The courtship ritual is breathtaking, involving “sky diving” — circling high in the sky followed by a rapid dive. The pair will nest in the lower limbs of a mature tree, usually close to water or some sort of opening in the canopy. The parent hawks will feed their young everything from mice to frogs, from lizards to large insects. Since broad-winged hawks are easily disturbed, they are rarely seen outside rural areas. So should you be out hiking at Weymouth Woods Sandhills Nature Preserve in Southern Pines or at, say, Haw River State Park in Browns Summit, keep an eye out as well as an ear, you just may spot an elusive broad-winged! OH Susan would love to hear from you. Feel free to send questions or wildlife observations to susan@ncaves.com (or 910-585-0574).
August 2015
O.Henry 49