A couple weeks ago I got a call from a gentleman south of Cody telling me that he had a nest of ferruginous hawks near his home. The largest of all hawk species, the adult female will weigh in at four pounds. They are a bird of special concern in this area so I was excited when I got there and saw them for myself. This series of photos shows just how quickly they grow up. The first one is when they were a bit over a week old with mom standing guard. The second a couple days older and the third at about 35 days old taken when they were being banded prior to their fledging.
The area where these birds are located has lots of prairie dogs so the food source is excellent. Altho the chances of all these young birds surviving to adulthood is not high I certainly hope they beat the odds and live long and healthy lives.
Thanks Clifford for documenting the lives of these amazing birds.
Thank Susan for helping me learn about these awesome birds! Clifford
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