Back in March, I received a call from a friend’s mother, Mrs. Roberts, who lives in the heart of suburban Camp Hill. The call was about a mystery raptor that was constructing a nest in their neighbor’s backyard. She told me that her initial identification of bird was White-Tail Hawk, but after looking online she realized that the White-Tail Hawk only comes as far north as Texas. She quickly changed her mind. Unfortunately, her second best pick was the Northern Goshawk which is almost as rare. After going through a whole host of birds with her, we still couldn’t identify what she had seen. I decided to go investigate myself.
That afternoon, I arrived at her house armed with a Second Breeding Bird Atlas of Pennsylvania and a Peterson’s field guide determined to find the bird. After having some tea and chatting for a while with her, we set out to hunt this little rascal. Mrs. Roberts first showed me the pine trees that the uncooperative bird frequents and where the nest was located. After a short time, the query landed next to the nest and was unmistakably a Coopers Hawk.
At this point, I thought case closed - it’s a Coopers Hawk. What happened next surprised me. Mrs. Roberts explained that there were a few other raptors flying the neighborhood. Almost as soon as she said that, a Sharp-Shin Hawk and Red-Tail Hawk came buzzing by at tree top level. Immediately, she said “I’ve been seeing those too, but I didn’t know if they were the same bird or different birds”. At this point, I was more excited than she and was having trouble containing my excitement. I couldn’t believe that there were three species of raptors in one subdivision, let alone at the same spot in the subdivision.
After the airshow, we went back to her house for more tea (you never go without tea), and refreshments. I explained to her why I brought the library of books I did to find just one bird, and talked to her about raptor adaptations and population changes. I also talked to her about some of the migratory patterns of raptors, as well as threats to bird especially raptors.
Birds are everywhere. Without our even knowing about it, they inhabit all manners of habitats. With increased development and urbanization, birds are often faced with a choice - adapt or die. It is truly amazing to observe how these birds adapt to humans. So don’t be afraid to bird in more urban settings. You never know what may be waiting just around the corner for you to find.
Thanks and Good Birding,
Eli DePaulis
That afternoon, I arrived at her house armed with a Second Breeding Bird Atlas of Pennsylvania and a Peterson’s field guide determined to find the bird. After having some tea and chatting for a while with her, we set out to hunt this little rascal. Mrs. Roberts first showed me the pine trees that the uncooperative bird frequents and where the nest was located. After a short time, the query landed next to the nest and was unmistakably a Coopers Hawk.
At this point, I thought case closed - it’s a Coopers Hawk. What happened next surprised me. Mrs. Roberts explained that there were a few other raptors flying the neighborhood. Almost as soon as she said that, a Sharp-Shin Hawk and Red-Tail Hawk came buzzing by at tree top level. Immediately, she said “I’ve been seeing those too, but I didn’t know if they were the same bird or different birds”. At this point, I was more excited than she and was having trouble containing my excitement. I couldn’t believe that there were three species of raptors in one subdivision, let alone at the same spot in the subdivision.
After the airshow, we went back to her house for more tea (you never go without tea), and refreshments. I explained to her why I brought the library of books I did to find just one bird, and talked to her about raptor adaptations and population changes. I also talked to her about some of the migratory patterns of raptors, as well as threats to bird especially raptors.
Birds are everywhere. Without our even knowing about it, they inhabit all manners of habitats. With increased development and urbanization, birds are often faced with a choice - adapt or die. It is truly amazing to observe how these birds adapt to humans. So don’t be afraid to bird in more urban settings. You never know what may be waiting just around the corner for you to find.
Thanks and Good Birding,
Eli DePaulis