Baby Hawks Spotted at BBG

Hawk chicks have been spotted in the Garden! Two, or possibly three, downy heads have been seen peeping out over the red-tailed hawk nest in the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden this week, reports local birder Ann Feldman. The nest, located high up in the branches of an Austrian pine tree, is the same nest where BBG's resident hawk pair successfully raised two fledglings last year.

The female adult hawk was tagged by a local wildlife rescuer this fall after it became trapped in a nearby building's air shaft. The pair was later observed mating this winter and spring. No one knows exactly when the eggs were laid or when they hatched, but the incubation period for hawk eggs is about a month, and the chicks are usually big enough to be seen a couple of weeks later. If all goes well, expect them to fledge in another month or so. In the meantime, watch for the parents to bring captured prey to their nest.