Raptor Week

One of the above Red-tails is pictured below in more detail:

In the spirit of that Boston TV channel that used to show all the Planet of the Apes movie on Christmas Day, “Christmas With the Apes,” I’ll be regaling you with raptor carols all week.

For those of you new to this blog, you may be surprised how raptorous Brooklyn, NY, is. If I don’t see a hawk or falcon during the course of the day this time of year, from home or while I’m out and about, that’s the unusual thing. Red-tailed Hawks and American Kestrels are the most commonly seen. Then it’s Cooper’s Hawks, Peregrines, Merlins, and Sharp-shinned Hawks, in roughly descending order. (Most unusual are Bald Eagles and Red-shouldered Hawks; this being winter, Osprey are not in the picture.)

I distinguish a sighting from an individual if I can. Take for instance a recent day when I had seven raptor sightings, six of which were definitely different individuals; the last, a distant Red-tail, I couldn’t be sure if I’d seen already. One of this fall’s highlights was seeing two Merlins from a mid-point between their perches.