On my lunch break yesterday, I went back to the spot that we noted the Broad-winged Hawk nest a few weeks ago during Birdathon to see if any progress has been made. The hawk was still sitting quietly.
It is much more difficult to see (much less photograph) now that the trees have leafed out so much. If I didn't know exactly where to look, I would never have found it. These are the only photos that came out because the foliage happened to blow out of the way for a moment. I did hear another Broad-winged call (the high-pitched two-part whistle) from a little further away but never located it. Just as I was returning to the car, onesoared by above me and I got one quick photo off before it got too far away.
One of the reasons I was able to re-find the hawk's nest in the dense foliage is that I remembered that I needed to find and stand next to a dead snag that had what looked like an old Downy Woodpecker nest cavity. (I tend to notice cavities a lot, and in some people's opinion, spend entirely too much time looking at holes in trees.) Today, while checking the cavity I noticed some movement. Upon closer inspection, it seems that bees had taken over the hole.
I wasn't aware that they did that, but I guess they have to go somewhere! One more reason that woodpeckers are so cool.
