{"id":9221,"date":"2013-08-22T03:45:05","date_gmt":"2013-08-22T09:45:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=9221"},"modified":"2025-05-23T05:10:48","modified_gmt":"2025-05-23T10:10:48","slug":"a-young-red-tailed-hawk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2013\/08\/22\/a-young-red-tailed-hawk\/","title":{"rendered":"Young Red-tailed Hawk"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"JuvenileJuvenile Red-tailed Hawk on a road in Montana<\/span><\/p>\n

Last month while up in Montana\u00a0I\u00a0saw\u00a0this young Red-tailed Hawk just standing in the road looking around and not acting the least bit concerned about the pickup or the two large lens that were pointed at it. I think this was a pretty young bird that may have\u00a0left its nest\u00a0around the time I photographed it. I didn’t see any adults nearby and I probably would have because the area was quite open and the only nearby perches were power poles or fence posts.<\/p>\n

\"JuvenileJuvenile Red-tailed Hawk on a gravel road<\/span><\/p>\n

Was the young hawk looking around for prey? Probably, but I am not sure what it might have been hoping to find while standing on a gravel road. Perhaps grasshoppers? Or the numerous ground squirrels that have burrows along the entire length of the road?\u00a0 I didn’t see many voles but I still can’t count them out as prey. What ever the juvenile raptor was looking for I hope that it found it because quite a few raptors die during their first year, mortality rates are\u00a0estimated of being between 60 and 80%.<\/p>\n

I must admit I have concerns about the success of the nesting season this year in Beaverhead County, Montana because I saw far fewer juvenile Red-tailed and Swainson’s Hawks than I have in prior years but did see more juvenile Ferruginous Hawks than I have seen previously.<\/p>\n

It is wonderful to be back on line and sharing my images and the stories behind them again! Thank you all for the great welcome back.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my Red-tailed Hawk photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last month while up in Montana I saw this young Red-tailed Hawk just standing in the road looking around and not acting the least bit concerned about the pickup or the two large lens that were pointed at it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":146191,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1513,27,223,12,449],"tags":[4021,2663,4170,2497,4033,4169,4067,4071,153,5414,5130,4209,2326,4193],"class_list":["post-9221","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-beaverhead-county-montana","category-avian","category-centennial-valley","category-montana","category-red-tailed-hawks","tag-bird-photography","tag-birds-of-prey","tag-buteo-jamaicensis","tag-buteos","tag-hawk","tag-hawks","tag-immature","tag-juvenile","tag-raptors","tag-red-tail","tag-red-tailed","tag-red-tailed-hawk","tag-road","tag-young"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t