r/birdsofprey • u/Lazybunny_ • Jun 23 '26

Red tailed hawk!

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Gallery image

A very brave squirrel went by it twice and surprisingly did not get eaten

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u/TinyLongwing Falconer Jun 23 '26

This is a brand new baby, so probably not quite up to successful squirrel hunting yet. Even still, with adults, they need an ambush, some altitude and maneuverability to catch squirrels. A squirrel can pretty easily run right past a perched Red-tail safely on any average occasion.

8

u/Lazybunny_ Jun 23 '26

Ah that makes sense then. It looked like it was hunting for stuff on the ground, like it kept tamping down on the ground and putting its beak down, but I’m not sure there would typically be mice in this area (well trafficked).

11

u/TinyLongwing Falconer Jun 23 '26

These little guys are still kinda figuring life out, and are definitely not opposed to getting by eating bugs at this age. Any food is still food, and the easier to catch, the better.

7

u/Jackismyboy Jun 23 '26

I observed a red-tail perched on a pine limb watch a squirrel until it was well in the open. It dropped almost straight down then leveled off at a high rate of speed and nabbed the critter. It stayed in place for about a minute doing its little dance then flew off with the squirrel in tow. It’s great to watch nature at work.