Subject: [Tweeters] Communal roosting red-tails
Date: Nov 9 18:43:10 2009
From: travelGirl - travelgirl.fics at gmail.com


There is at least one location west of Ellensburg along I90 where RTHAs congregate... Whenever I'm headed through that area (from late spring thru summer), there are usually between 15 and 30 birds flying or perching on trees and power/telephone poles... I keep saying I'm going to stop along the way to photograph them, but so far I've let myself down... :)

00 caren
----- Original Message -----
From: zingie at aol.com
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
Sent: 2009 November 09, Monday 18:37
Subject: [Tweeters] Communal roosting red-tails


Hi Tweeters,

Yesterday evening at dusk some friends and I noticed three immature red-tails in a row of poplars near Ellensburg. My friends and I decided to stay and watch them for a bit as there seemed to be a lot of activity. Over the next 10-15 minutes or so we watched more and more red-tails arrive. Some landed in the almost bare poplars while another group was forming in a group (also a row) of three spruce or fir trees (it was pretty much dark by this time so not positive of ID). There were at least eight but possibly up to around 14 red-tails between the two groups of trees and we noticed that some of the birds would land in the poplars and then head over to the spruce/fir trees where they would land quite deep in the trees. Most were juveniles although there were at least two adults I believe. Has anyone seen this before? Also of note was one Great Horned Owl less than a block away on a telephone pole. I have never heard of a communal roost of red-tails although it makes more sense of course that most were juveniles. Has anyone seen this before?

Simone Lupson-Cook
Seattle, WA
zingie at aol.com



------------------------------------------------------------------------------


_______________________________________________
Tweeters mailing list
Tweeters at u.washington.edu
http://mailman2.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters