Are You Seeing More Hawks in Your Neighborhood?

Recently I have noticed more Hawks  in our local neighborhoods is it just my being unaware or have you noticed more as well? Hawks are not uncommon to the Jersey Shore, but in more open and remote areas? Is this a sign of how overdevelopment has impacted birds in the area. As we spread out, they become part of our neighborhoods? Do they need to spread out to find proper nesting areas? Do they need new sources of food?  Maybe it’s a combination of all of the above, but whatever the case it just seems like more of these birds of prey are in our communities.

I got the idea to write about this , again, after seeing a new hawk in the neighborhood while walking. At first I thought it was a Cooper’s Hawk, but bird enthusiasts in the area ID’d the bird as an “immature” Red Shouldered Hawk. One listener estimated maybe a 2 year old? Red Shouldered Hawk’s are a smaller Hawk and feed on small birds, squirrels, chipmunks, mice, lizards, snakes etc

Have You noticed more hawks? Of course one Hawk we have always seen here at the Shore is the Osprey aka Seahawk and they stay mainly near water and are the “fishermen of the sky” as they love to have seafood as their dinner of choice.

Check out some photos of mine from hawks I’ve encountered ....