Red-shouldered return, Home

When the Red-shouldered Hawks return to our woods towards the end of February or, in a less-global-climate-change time, the first week of March, you can hear them coming, even inside the house. Their shrieking whistles pass right though the walls and windows, and when I detected that telltale "I'm back... did you miss me?", I was outside as fast as possible. (It took a while to affix the 150-500mm Sigma supertelephoto to the dSLR.) I found a clear viewing spot, and in short order, there was the first of this year's RSHs, which was soaring elegantly and low in a cloudless sky. I shot picture after picture, but, as I focused and pulled the shutter release, I noticed something truly joyous: the first hawk didn't come home alone. In fact, the raptor had two accomplices: a mate, no doubt, and perhaps the hawk equivalent of a nanny—probably one of last year's brood who signed on for a year's worth of child-rearing before trying a more solo—with territory and mate—life.