We first came across this young Red-tailed Hawk in a local park. Some young folks had noticed it just sitting in a grassy area…and it was reassuring that they took such concern for the bird. It looked to me like he was fresh out of the nest. Mostly grown physically, he didn’t have the full wing feathers yet to really fly or gain any altitude, but he could surely glide somewhat at this stage.
It was pretty obvious that gnats were being quite a bother…and that may be why he jumped from the nest in the first place. If you’ve ever been annoyed by the things, imagine not being able to out-fly or outrun them, with no hands or no bug repellent to help you along. They had bitten him enough to cause some bleeding in the exposed skin below the eye, but other than that, he seemed quite happy and healthy. His gaze would often go towards the sky and I have no doubt he was looking forward to the gift of flight.
It was obvious as well, due to a slightly bulging crop, that his parents were still nearby and dropping off something to eat every now and then.
Give him another week or two and, with more robust flight feathers, he’ll be airborne, and on his way to a hopefully good life. But make no mistake, it will be challenging and difficult at times…as it can be for any young of the year to really make a good go of it. Raptors like this one must learn quickly in the ways of survival…within a month or two it will have to successfully fend for itself, or die trying.