For at least an hour, I’ve been watching a juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk using an interesting hunting technique in my backyard. It perches on some hammock posts or on top of a birdhouse post (about 4.5 feet tall) staring at the ground then suddenly pounces on something then appears, most the time, to be eating something quite small. I can’t tell from inside the house what the prey item is and I was just wondering if anybody out there on the list had any thoughts.

 I have chipmunks and probably moles but those are fairly large and I could probably tell if they were the prey item. Would it be eating something like cicadas, grasshoppers, possibly small toads? Usually, It doesn’t stay long on the ground altho I just saw it run a a short distance and tried to catch something. Most commonly, it immediately flies back up to one of the posts and keeps watching the ground/lawn.

It’s been hunting this way for quite a while so I don’t think it would keep doing it unless it was getting enough to eat to make it worthwhile. 

I’ve never seen this behavior before so if anyone wants to reply to me privately, I’d be most curious to see if anybody has a theory about this or have seen similar behavior. The bird appears healthy and seems to maneuver well on its short flights so I don’t believe it’s injured in anyway although I’ll certainly keep an eye on it.

Just now, it has perched on a nearby low tree limb in the shade, still watching the ground intently.

 Thanks,

Peggy Wang
Granville 
Sent from my iPad
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