Finally Fall: Red-tailed Hawk

Wild is the music of the autumnal winds amongst the faded woods.

William Wordsworth

Fall is a perfect time to get outside and we hope that our November articles will inspire your next open-air explorations and prompt your further investigations.  This is a busy time for nature, and we will highlight just a few of the happenings that occur above our heads, on ground level, and even beneath our feet as the displays of color, beauty and activities contribute to the concert of autumnal abundance.

New Jersey has sixteen species of raptors that regularly pass through or take up residence, including bald eagles, golden eagles, red-shouldered hawks, ospreys, kestrels... we could go on. This resource will focus on the most common of raptors in the area - the red-tailed hawk. The red-tailed hawk gets its name from the deep russet color of its tail feathers - only full-grown adults have this coloring. The red-tail is one of the largest raptors in North America and you can find them hunting in the meadows and western farm fields at Duke Farms - they're easy to spot, especially around this time of year when the leaves have fallen from the trees. Go beyond what you know about red-tails in this resource.

Download the full PDF here.

This resource was created by Joanne Vogel and Kate Reilly.