Wednesday’s roadside drama involving a Red-tailed Hawk (intermediate morph) and a Common Raven is played out in the five pictures, below.
The Red-tailed Hawk was perched in a small tree beside the road. It just ignored the clicking sound coming from the open window of a car that had pulled alongside.
After a while, and for no apparent reason, it flew off. It only went down the road for a short distance and alighted on a snag. Its red tail could now be seen.
Almost immediately, a raven began to harass it, diving on it and swooping up from below.
I don’t have time for this nonsense! I’m outta here.
Yet, leaving was not good enough for the raven, which chased the hawk into the distance along the valley.
The first time I saw a raven drive off Red-tailed Hawks, it was unexpected—why would the hawk retreat? Actually, the raven is the slightly heavier bird and its tallons are long and sharp. (The raven looks smaller in the above picture because it is a bit farther away). From the hawk’s point of view, it is easier to retreat than to risk injury.