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Hawk Bird Watching
Red-Tailed Hawk
Latin Name: Buteo jamaicensis
Size: 19" - 25"
Color: Light underbelly and dark brown coloration above. Dark band on tail with
a lighter tail tip.
Voice: A harsh, descending screech.
Habitat: Deserts, farmlands, mountain valleys - whereever there is an abundant
food source.
Range: Throughout Canada and the United States.
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Regal and majestic, the Red-Tailed Hawk is a common sight throughtout America, often
from cars driving along country roads and highways. Red-Tailed Hawks, like other hawks,
can often be spotted sitting perfectly still perched atop telephone poles, fences,
posts, and telephone wires. These birds can sit for very long periods of time in
silence as they scan the surrounding fields for rodents. Red-Tailed Hawks and other
members of the hawk family are extremely important to the ecology of the local
environment, as they help to keep down rodent populations. Often can be seen in the
same areas and sharing the same skies as vultures and kites.
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- Read the Latest News from the Birding Sonoma County Blog -
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Tomales Bay State Park Closure - One Upset Birder
January 22, 2008, Point Reyes, CA
Governor Schwarzenegger is planning to close our beautiful, sacred Tomales Bay State Park
in Marin County along with 42 other desperately-needed and exuberantly cherished state
parks throughout California. Closing all of these wonderful parks would not even take us
1% in the direction of being back in the black. And think of what will have been lost. Read Article »
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Bay Area Oil Spill A Disaster For Birds
November 11, 2007, Kenwood, CA
When the Cosco Busan crashed into the Bay Bridge, every birder I know immediately thought
of what this disaster would mean for the birds. In addition to our beloved birds, whales
will be swimming through the oil, as will seals, sea lions and other marine mammals. West
Marin is one of my favorite places on earth, and to see it thus spoiled fills me with
sorrow and anger. Read Article »
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Bewick's Wren - A hidden Bay Area bird worth seeking!
October 7, 2007, Glen Ellen, CA
Today, we'll turn our gaze on Bewick's Wren, Thryomanes bewickii, one of the larger
SF Bay Area Wrens. Bewick's Wren, like most wrens, will instantly strike you as being
'all-tail'. Identification clue number one for wrens is that they tend to hold their tails
up-turned, as if in proud of their lovely plumes. Read Article »
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The White-crowned Sparrow has returned!
September 24, 2007, Kenwood, CA
This trusty little bird disappeared when the weather heated up, early in the year, heading
north to cooler Canada. Just this afternoon, my husband called me to the window excitedly.
There, at the foot of the photinia hedge, a lone White-crowned Sparrow was hopping humbly
through the green grass. Read Article »
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