A Red-tailed Hawk scouting for prey near Lost Lake Nature Park

Now is the time to watch for the courtship of Red-tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis). High in the sky, the pair soars in wide circles close to one another. Sometimes the male will dive steeply downward and then swoop sharply back up. Occasionally, he drops toward the female from above and touches her with his talons.  If you’re lucky, you may even see them clutching each other and tumbling through the air until they fly off together.  Quite an aerobatic courtship!