Hawk-eyed

Nature 4 Minutes

There are roughly 270 species of hawks across the world, but here in the United States, there’s approximately 25 species of hawks. These birds vary in size, shape, and hunting style; however, they all have one thing in common: they’re fearsome predators that use their sharp talons and razor-sharp beaks to capture prey. 

The Red-tailed Hawk is the most common hawk found throughout North America. They can be found all over the continent, and they are considered to be one of the few large hawks that make their home near human settlements.

A hawk is a bird of prey, and are part of the raptor family, which includes birds like vultures and eagles.​​​​​​​ A group of hawks is called a kettle, which describes the movement of a group of raptors flying in circles.  Hawks are very large birds that have passive soaring wings. Passive soaring is when a bird does not flap its wings, but uses the wind to glide for long periods of time. Hawks use this method to hunt and migrate across vast distances without exerting much energy.

Hawks will typically migrate thousands of miles every year. In fact, some hawks can travel up to 3,000 miles in a single flight. The distance they fly varies depending on the species and their need for food. Most migrations happen during spring or fall when weather conditions are favorable for flying long distances at high altitudes. 

All hawk species hunt their prey from the air, usually by catching it with their talons or catching it in midair with their sharp hooked beaks. Ahawk’s talons are a marvel of engineering reaching almost 2 inches in length. They are so strong that they can grip prey with a force up to 500 pounds per square inch (PSI). This makes them very dangerous. A single talon can exert an upwards pressure on the ground as much as nine times its own weight, and they are so sharp that it only takes one claw’s tip to puncture through skin.

Hawks are powerful predators that have binocular vision and can see 5x better than humans. Binocular vision is when both eyes focus on the same object at the same time. This gives hawks a great field of view to hunt prey in because they have an overlap in their sight lines.  Hawks also have keen color perception, which means they can tell red from green or blue very easily. They are able to pick out detail like hair or feathers from far away distances.

Hawks are known for their keen eyesight, and can see a field mouse from over a mile away. This is due to the fact that they have a field of view three times as wide as humans and up to twenty-eight times sharper.  What may be even more amazing, though, is how far away hawks can see something in detail – sometimes over a mile! A typical hawk’s eye has a visual acuity of about 20/2, meaning it can distinguish an object at 20 feet (6 meters) from 200 feet (60 meters).

Hawks are carnivorous birds that have a variety of prey, such as small mammals, snakes, fish, birds and amphibians. They feed on insects and other small animals too. Hawks can also be opportunistic hunters if the opportunity arises for them to do so!​​​​​​​ Red-tailed hawks are among the most common birds of prey in North America, and can eat as much as five pounds of food per day, which is twice their body weight!

Hawks typically nest high up off the ground to avoid predators, such as raccoons, squirrels, and humans. They do this by nesting on trees or other structures which extend from higher surfaces, like cliffs or utility poles.  In general, hawks live between 15 and 20 years in the wild.

The red-tailed hawk does not stray from its partner and usually lives with them until they die. Red-tailed hawks also have a strong desire to care for their young ones together with their mates, which makes them excellent parents. They will continue caring for the chicks until they become independent adults in two years or so.​​​​​​​

A baby hawk is called an ‘Eyas’. The word ‘eyas’ comes from the French language and means “nestling.” The hawks start off in a nest. As they grow, they need to be released so that they can fly around and learn to hunt on their own. This is usually done when the birds are about six weeks old. ​​​​​​​

Hawks have four types of vocalizations that they use to communicate with other hawks: screams, growls, hoots and screeches. These different sounds are important for a hawk to identify its own species, as well as potential threats from predators. A scream is often used when defending territory or searching for prey.

The sound of a growl can be heard during courtship rituals, where the male may try to impress the female by attacking her while screaming at her. (This would NOT impress me…lol) Hoots are typically used in interactions with other hawks, and screeches are used when a hawk feels threatened or angry.​​​​​​​

Male hawks perform courtship dances called sky-dances.  In a typical sky-dance, the male will fly at high altitudes while calling to attract attention from below. The female will respond by flying and making vocalizations of her own. Eventually, the male will land near the female and copulate with her on the ground or in a nearby tree.

Notable Hawks

The American Kestrel (Sparrowhawk) is the smallest hawk in North America. It lives throughout North America and parts of Central America, as well as Mexico.

The Ferruginous Hawk is the largest hawk in the world. They are found in North America, Central America, and parts of South America. 

The Peregrine Falcon is the world’s fastest animal. These birds can reach speeds up to 242 miles per hour when diving for prey, which is faster than any other creature on Earth. 

My favorite Hawk: Hudson

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Published by pat frederick

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158 thoughts on “Hawk-eyed”

      2. And then they turned to pushing people to re-cycle all that plastic, when paper can be easily burned. Oh, wait! My bad – that releases some of that dreadful carbon, doesn’t it? My, my! So bend my dog tags!!!!

        Liked by 1 person

            1. at the walmart in ny, if you don’t bring your own bags–they give you paper ones and charge you 5 cents a piece for them.
              we never go to that one anymore

              Liked by 1 person

  2. Well, I managed to get 2 skylights in the roof before the hot knife seemed to give up the ghost. It kept popping the exterior breaker switch, so I tried a 3-prong extension cord from an interior outlet but it won’t heat up now – perhaps there is an internal fuse that is blown. IDK but it’s done, even tho I had to use my carpet knife to pry out the 2nd one. I think the plants will do much better now. I’ll ask Michael to take this POS knife apart and see if he can fix it at some point ’cause it sure is handy.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. it sounded handy for sure!
      I have an electric knife my mom was getting rid of. she used it to carve turkeys. I use it to cut foam (like for seat cushions…)

      Liked by 1 person

  3. So, finally, the CAT scans taken a few months after my aortic incidents have been analyzed and I got the report from the surgeon.

    The good news is that the stents used to repair the three aneurysms haven’t shifted, nor are there any signs of blood leakage or clots. So, all looks good on the aneurysm front.

    Because of blood in the chest cavity, the cause of my Feb incident was not able to be accurately determined. By the time these later CAT scans were taken, the blood had cleared and a proper diagnosis determined. It wasn’t an aortic dissection as they had thought, but it was a penetrating aortic ulcer (APU) that had gone through the aortic wall which results in very similar symptoms to an aortic dissection with the added bonus of hemorrhaging into the chest cavity.

    It’s still life threatening, but instead of medical management by controlling blood pressure, non-emergency but as-soon-as-feasible surgery is required. The good news here is that the surgical correction will be endovascular with the insertion of an inner sleeve similar to a stent. Further good news is that the APU is in a good location in the upper descending aorta that should not complicate the procedure. The not so good news is that the location could result in paralysis due to post op blood starvation in the spinal cord, but that only occurs in a low percentage of patients.

    So, all in all, fairly good news. I’m penciled in for surgery in October. The surgeon is conversing with the sleeve manufacturer concerning the sizing of an appropriate sleeve. When he gets an availability date from the manufacturer, we’ll be able to set a firm operation date in October.

    Again, all things considered, it’s good news.

    Liked by 2 people

  4. Entire Article @ NewAmerican:

    “At first blush this is hardly news. Illinois has high taxes. Florida has no personal income tax. But for Ken Griffin, the billionaire entrepreneur who made his money trading stocks and then started two companies that trade stocks, there’s another reason: crime.

    While a student at Harvard, Griffin persuaded school administrators to allow a satellite dish to be installed on the roof of his dormitory so he could receive stock quotes. He turned a few dollars into many, moved to Chicago after graduation, and now sports a net worth of nearly $30 billion.

    He owns 80 percent of Citadel LLC, a multinational hedge fund already operating in Miami, and 100 percent of Citadel Securities, one of the largest market makers in the U.S. Approximately one-third of all individual stock transactions that take place in the United States are completed through Citadel Securities.

    Citadel employs more than 1,000 people, and they are tired of being attacked on the way to and from work. Said Griffin: ‘If people aren’t safe here, they’re not going to live here. I’ve had multiple colleagues mugged at gunpoint. I’ve had a colleague stabbed on the way to work, countless issues of burglary.’ Griffin himself experienced an attempted carjacking, and there continue to be reports of shootings, riots, and looting near some of his employees’ homes.

    In June he announced to his employees that he was moving Citadel Securities to Miami, and then moved himself and his family to the Sunshine State. This follows similar moves, for perhaps similar reasons, by Boeing (which is moving its operations to Arlington, Virginia) and Caterpillar (which is moving its operations to Dallas-Ft. Worth in Texas).

    While Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker is putting the best possible face on Griffin’s departure — “Countless companies are choosing Illinois as their home,” he said — Citadel’s move will cost Chicago and the state billions of future tax dollars, as well as more than $600 million in gifts that Griffin himself has given to local charities and other good works over the past 30 years.

    It’s true that Florida has lower taxes than Illinois. According to the Tax Foundation, Florida ranks #4 in its State Business Tax Climate Index, while Illinois lags far behind in the #36 position. That’s because, in every tax category — corporate taxes, individual income taxes, sales taxes, property taxes, and unemployment insurance premiums — Illinois’ burdens are significantly higher that Florida’s.

    On a per capita basis, which is the best measure of how those taxes impact the working individual — who ultimately pays all taxes — Florida collected $2,002 on average from each citizen in 2020, while Illinois extracted almost twice as much: $3,534.

    But on crime the difference is staggering. In Chicago the violent crime rate, according to Neighborhood Scout, is 9.69 per 1,000 residents. In Miami, it’s 6.00 per 1,000. The chances of becoming a victim of a violent crime in Chicago are one out of every 103 residents; in Florida it’s one out of every 167.

    Taken all together then — weather (the average temperature in January in Chicago is 26 degrees; in Miami in January it’s 69 degrees), taxes, and crime — one wonders why Griffin and Citadel stayed so long in such an inhospitable place.”

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Entire Article @ NA:

    “The transgender madness that has taken over society is based on pseudo-science, lies, and deception that is wreaking havoc on children but fortunately is being and will be exposed, warned American College of Pediatricians President Dr. Quentin Van Meter in this interview on Conversations That Matter with The New American magazine’s Alex Newman.

    Transitioning children to a new gender–sterilizing them and even surgically mutilating them–is wrong and is not based on science or medicine, said the pediatric endocrinologist who completed a fellowship at Johns Hopkins University and knew the man behind the original craze. Neither do these “gender-affirming care” protocols help reduce suicide, Dr. Van Meter added. The goal of the forces pushing this, he said in this warning, is to tear the family apart. In Europe, the negative effects and dangers are already becoming obvious to policymakers and medical professionals.

    That realization is coming to America but about 10 years behind. In this explosive interview, Dr. Van Meter discusses the implications and the importance of people taking this seriously.”

    Video is a half hour long: https://thenewamerican.com/transgender-quackery-exposed-as-child-abuse-by-top-doctor/

    Liked by 1 person

  6. Since I’ve got the roof openings now, I decided to close up the end windows completely so I can put more soil inside. I also managed to pull one branch on each plant back inside and up thru the openings. Yeah! Success! It’s also MUCH easier to do things inside now and to water.

    Liked by 1 person

  7. “Close to 4 million babies are born in the United States every year, and within their first 48 hours, nearly all are pricked in the heel so their blood can be tested for dozens of life-threatening genetic and metabolic problems.

    The heel-stick test is considered such a crucial public health measure that states typically require it and parents aren’t asked for their permission before it’s done. But the lab tests for newborn screenings generally don’t use all of the half-dozen or so drops of blood collected on filter paper cards. So states hold on to the leftover “dried blood spots,” as they’re called, often without parents’ knowledge or consent.

    In recent years, privacy-related concerns have grown about the sometimes decades-long storage and use of the material. Some states allow the blood spots to be used in research studies, sometimes by third parties for a fee, or provided to law enforcement personnel investigating a crime. Permitting these or other uses without parents’ informed consent that they understand and agree to the use has prompted lawsuits from parents who want to make those decisions themselves and who seek to protect their children’s medical and genetic information.

    In May, Michigan officials reportedly agreed to destroy more than 3 million blood spots as a partial settlement in a lawsuit brought by parents who said they didn’t receive enough clear information to provide informed consent for the blood to be used in research the state might conduct.

    The fate of millions of additional blood spots stored by the state will be determined at trial. Philip L. Ellison, an attorney in Hemlock, Michigan, who is spearheading the suit, said he became aware of the issue when his son was born five years ago. Ellison’s son, Patton, spent his first days in the neonatal intensive care unit after his blood sugar levels dropped precipitously after birth.

    The next morning, Ellison said, he was approached by a hospital staffer who asked whether he wanted to sign a consent form allowing the blood from Patton’s heel-stick test to be donated for research. The unexpected request set off alarm bells for Ellison.

    “We don’t know what the future will bring in terms of information that can be extracted from our blood,” he said. How the rules for using that blood might evolve over time, he said, is difficult to know. “A program that first starts out for one purpose, to test for disease, has now crept into medical research and then to law enforcement,” he said.”

    https://childrenshealthdefense.org/defender/newborns-heel-prick-blood-tests-parents-consent/

    Like

  8. I am adding a short daily prayer to the board. I would invite each of you, if you wish, to also add one or maybe two of your own liking. I do not want to stifle anyone but please limit yourself to one or two religious postings. here’s one I found that I liked.

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  13. TGP

    Triggered: Gavin Newsom Calls on Justice Department to Investigate Martha’s Vineyard Migrant Flights for Kidnapping—- LMAO

    Another Canadian Athlete and Doctor Dies Suddenly During a Cycling Event in Quebec Due to “Cardiac Arrest”— Another one

    Illegal Alien Standing Outside Kamala Harris’ Home: “The Border is Open…Everybody Believes That the Border is Open.. We Came Illegally”—- Of course

    The New Normal: Kids Myocarditis Awareness Commercial Running in New York State—– sure

    Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot Sued By Reporter For Revoking Press Credentials—- Good

    Inspector General: Over $1.3 Billion In COVID Relief Went To Foreign Applicants— No shit

    Trident Order #12, Which Disqualified SEALs From Duty For Seeking Vaccine Mandate Religious Exemption, Quietly Canceled By US Navy—- telling

    Liberal Logic: Martha’s Vineyard Calls 50 Illegal Immigrants a “Humanitarian Crisis” – But 4.2 Million Illegal Immigrants Crossing a “Secure Border”—–libs

    Karine Jean-Pierre Changes the Subject When asked If She Has Message For Illegal Aliens Who Are Saying the Border is Wide Open —- denial

    “Their Virtue Signaling is a Fraud” – Gov. Ron DeSantis Attacks Liberal Elites After Sending Illegal Aliens to Martha’s Vineyard— Yup

    17-Year-Old Student Suffers Heart Attack After Finishing Cross Country Race – Found Two Bloodclots – Doctors Baffled on Exactly What Happened— nothing to see here

    Martha’s Vineyard Homeless Shelter Coordinator Melts Down Over Illegals Flown to Island: “They Have to Move From Here to Somewhere Else”—– LMAO

    More Disney Employees Arrested in Latest Florida Child Sex Sting: Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd Radical Leftists Swarm Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene – Block Her Path – Then Activist Alleges She Was Kicked —- Ahhhh disney

    Florida Judge Aileen Cannon Denies DOJ Request, Appoints Special Master to Review Records— Yeah

    Delaware Judge Rules Vote-by-Mail Violates State’s Constitution, Cannot be Used in November Election—- OMG law and order

    Liked by 1 person

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