Nature Note:Red-Shouldered Hawk

I heard a close kee-yer call of a red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus),but at first I couldn't locate it.Finally,something made me look straight up,and there it was in silhouette,soaring right over my head.I was walking along a northern riverine forest,well within the habitat of this species.
The red-shouldred hawk dwells in and near floodplain forests from New Brunswick,west to Minnesota and south to the Gulf of Mexico,and on the West coast from Northern California to Baja California,Mexico.
The kee-yer cry of red-shouldered hawks is often imitated by blue jays-in fact,it's a favourite trick of blue jays to play on hikers.These hawks hunt from low perches for small mammals,frogs,snakes and insects.They are slightly smaller than the red-tailed hawks so often seen along country roads.
They spend the winter as far north as Southern New England and the Ohio Valley.With the warmer winters of today,perhaps they are even wintering into Ontario now.

Nature Note:Red-tailed Hawk

The chunky sentinel of North American roadsides,the red-tailed hawk(buteo jamaicensis),is one of the most common birds of prey on the continent.Tolerant of human activity,this hawk is often noted by motorists as they rush to and fro.
The red-tailed hawk has a rust-colored tail and a white breast with central dark band.It hunts for small mammals up to the size of rabbits either soaring or perched on a tree or telephone pole or wire.Its high-pitched scream is often included in film sound tracks to suggest the wild.
The red-tailed hawk will also feed on roadkill along byways.It breeds as far north as British Columbia and Nova Scotia,and lives year-round down into Mexico.A famous pair of red-taileds has been breeding in New York's Central Park.
They are so widespread,they may serve as an introduction to the raptors for children and adults alike.If you see a hawk while driving ,there's a good chance it is a red-tailed.