Perched Pair

I took some photos of this handsome pair of red-tailed hawks a couple of weeks ago and spied them again this morning perched high in the same sunny spot on this cold windy morning.

They have been flying in wide circles over the meadows and hunting together, part of the mating ritual. There haven't been any altercations with the crows thusfar.

Red-tailed hawks have been nesting in the tall trees of the back woods for years creating a large stick nest. According to Lives of North American Birds by K. Kaufman, they have 2-3 eggs and incubation is done by both parents and lasts 28-52 days. The female stays with the young until they are 6-7 weeks old and during this time the male provides the food. I look forward to hearing the squawking of the babies later this spring.