Chapter 6

The New Nest Site

This morning I saw Rufous fly to the ground, pick up a stick, and head due south along the canal. I watched as he flew low, then lofted up high into one of the trees about half a block south of us and on the other side of the canal.

Later in the day, Jay and I decided to investigate the general area where I saw Rufous fly up into the trees. Suddenly, Jay pointed and said, “There it is! There’s the nest!” And sure enough, in the top of a medium-sized live oak, there was a nest. I was skeptical at first, because the nest appeared to be constructed of leaves, not sticks. But, as we moved around to different angles, suddenly one of the hawks appeared at the side of the nest!

Possibly, in their desperation to find a home, the hawks decided upon a nest abandoned by squirrels or some other large bird. Or perhaps they have built their nest on top of leafy limbs.

I stood beneath the old nest tree and took the photo above-right. The new location is across the canal between the second and third light poles.

During the next days, we frequently saw Rufous flying up to the nest. But what is the timetable? We have no idea! If the hawks are on the same natural clock as the past two years, there are eggs in the nest, and hawk chicks will hatch anytime. If the nest-building disasters interrupted their natural schedule, then who knows?

Continue to Chapter 7: Disaster Strikes Again!

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