[Birdnet] Hawks

[Andy Bear Baggs]

    On all of my last 4 visits to the Provo Airport dike, there has been a 
Northern Harrier playing around on the south west side, ranging as far east 
as the east side of the southern extension.  I'm going way out on a limb and 
assuming that he has nested somewhere around there.  Yesterday evening we 
were parked near the southwest corner, watching the swallows and Buffleheads 
and Scaups and Ring-necked ducks.  The Harrier was just floating on the 
breeze a few feet in front of the van and 15 feet above it.  2 Red Winged 
Black Birds were pestering the hell out of him.  I guess he was in their 
territory or near a nest or something but they were staging a great show for 
about 10 minutes.  He's the one who finally moved away.  The next time we 
saw him he was in one of the trees along the east side of the extension.
    On the east side we've seen a beautiful Swainson's hawk several times, 
between the airport turnoff and that gate to the east.  Yesterday he parked 
his backside right over the van in the top of one of the cottonwoods.  We 
watched him preen and play with the wind for 15 minutes.  There was a second 
one out over the fields to the east so maybe it's a mating pair.  It was 
getting too dark to identify the second one very well.  We've seen at least 
one in that short stretch of road on 3 of our 4 trips down there.
    Happy Birding,
                pb