This week was defined by a marked decrease in red-tailed hawk captures and an increase in sharp-shinned hawk captures. Despite being “skunked” two days, we still banded 16 raptors of four species, including our first northern harrier of the season.
Our first northern harrier capture of the season, an after second year female.
Two second year (immature) sharp-shinned hawks, illustrating the pronounced size difference between the sexes: male on the left, female on the right.
Season Totals as of 25 April
red-tailed hawk: 22
sharp-shinned hawk: 24
merlin: 3
broad-winged hawk: 1
northern harrier: 1
Total captures: 51
