Red-tailed Hawks Have Hatched at the Franklin Institute

mature female Red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis). Photo taken by Donna L. Long

In what has been an annual happening, the Red-tailed Hawk pair that live on a ledge at Philadelphia’s Franklin Institute, hatched three babies this past week.

Red-Tail Hawks in Philadelphia

In the Philadelphia area, Red-tails lay their first egg in mid-March. And right on time the Franklin Institute female laid her first egg on March 17, 2011. The last egg hatched two days ago on April 25.

Red-Tails in the Ecosystem

We watched the show at the nest last year and it is just as great a learning experience as this year.

Today, I watched the Red-tailed hawk parent feed her/his chicks what looked like a rat. Gruesome, but I am sure in the Center City and river areas there are plenty rodents to feast upon. I read on the website that this pair of Red-tails are partial to pigeon.

The Hawks are performing (for free) a useful service for their human neighbors, rat-catcher. How much would this service cost from a human being?

There is no artificial lighting at the nest, so you can only see the birds during the day. See all the gory glory at http://www.fi.edu/hawks/