Odd as it may sound, there is a pair of Cooper's Hawks that has nested on
Bateman Island in Richland. Yes, we know this is far from any known
nesting areas.

A pair of Cooper's Hawks had been observed throughout April, May, and early
June, always perched in the same general location or flying at the north
end of the island. On one occasion, one bird repeatedly vocalized,
suggesting agitation. We do not typically hear them when they are here in
the winter. One local birder reported that on two occasions, he saw an
immature on what he called "the nest" as well as another adult bird in the
area. No one was able to verify what this birder saw. It was speculated
by some that they may have been "playing house" before moving on to a more
typical breeding area.

On June 3, a Cooper's Hawk with adult plumage but light/yellow eyes, was
seen perched in the same area as the above reported "nest". When the group
walked by, it flew as if defending the area. No further attempt was made
to disturb the bird or locate a nest.

From Wheeler's raptor book: "One year old females in juvenile plumage
often mate with adult males. Rarely two juvenile-aged birds pair and
nest." and "Iris color varies from orange to dark red and may take 4-7
years to attain the deepest red coloration." These two facts and the
previous observations supported the possibility of an active nest.

Today, June 16, I was walking under the locust trees at the end of the west
trail and flushed 3 Great Horned Owls. In came two Cooper's Hawks. What a
noisy deal! Magpies joined in to make a real ruckus. After the "brawl",
the male owl hooted his 5 notes and a young one attempted a weak hoot in
response. Fun to observe.

I wondered if the Cooper's Hawks' nest (if there truly was one) might have
failed, so I headed over to where they had been. I did not see any perched
adults and figured they had left the "nesting" area. I found a nest that
was at least magpie size but not made of the same materials. As I was
wondering if this could have been it, I was thoroughly surprised to see a
little white head come up. Not long after, one of the adult Cooper's came
in and I left. I had no intention of bothering them and was surprised to
actually find a young bird.

This was a terrific end to a truly amazing day. Earlier I found that at
least one of the Northern Mockingbirds is still at Horn Rapids Park. There
was also a singing Willow Flycatcher there. We may have heard the full
fitz-pew song here only once before.

On Bateman there was a lot of other activity. A Black-headed Grosbeak nest
that Joel Tinsley originally found had both parents feeding young. Orioles
were carrying food. A pair of Tree Swallows is still around and they
appeared to be feeding young as they were hovering at the same location
multiple times. Tree Swallows also do not typically nest in the
TriCities. There were 2 Great Egrets at the Yakima Delta and a lot of
mud. Won't be long and we'll be out looking for returning shorebirds!!

Nancy

Bill & Nancy LaFramboise
wlafra at owt.com
Richland, WA