Page:Bird-lore Vol 08.djvu/193



HE large size and early nesting activities of the Red-tailed Hawk make it one of the birds most eagerly sought for by bird students. Its nest is built before most of the other birds begin their mating operations and at a when the ornithologist's enthusiasm is at its height. For many years the Red-tail in the vicinity of Decorah, Iowa offered to me an outlet for my youthful ardor, and later, when the camera was directed toward the study of bird-life, this big raptor received its full share of attention

I have records in my notebook of eighteen nests that were examined during a period of six years. Oak, basswood, birch and pine trees were most often chosen in which to build, although elm, hickory and poplar are also in the list. Five of the nests were forty feet from the ground, five were sixty, and the remaining eight ranged between twenty-eight and eighty. The largest nest found was three and one-half feet in diameter by two and one-half feet thick. It was in a large basswood tree and had been used