By BUNNY SMITH
Variety Editor

When the floodgates on the Wakarusa
came down and the waters of Clinton Lake
began to swallow .the land, dozens of
families were driven from their homes.

But some creatures are just naturally
more stubborn than others, and it takes
more than an inundation to force a family
of red-tailed hawks from its accustomed
nesting place.

It’s a stubbornness that has a lot to do
with instinct and perhaps a little with tradi-
tion. For when a hawk builds a nest, it’s
home sweet home forever.

“‘A red-tail may have alternate nests in
its territory, and it will return to one or the
other of them year after year,” explained
James Bee, Kansas University professor
emeritus of systematics and ecology.
‘Some nests that have been securely an-
chored have been -used as rong as 10
years.”’

THAT’S THE upper limit of a red-tailed
hawk’s lifespan, Bee added.

Red-tails customarily build their nests i in
thickets of towering trees — the higher the

better for observing prey — near open .

fields, Bee said. The black willow in which
this nest was built once fit that bill. Now,
with Clinton’s waters swirling some 20 feet
below, this territory hardly seems ideal,
but these hawk parents have returned
there from their wintering grounds in nor-
thern Texas, Louisiana or. Mississippi
nevertheless. ;

As more and more fishermen, boaters

and waterskiers invade the waters below '

their aerie, these hawks may eventually

BOlIZ2E6-173

abandon this site, to build again

, Somewhere offshore. But not this season.
The 2-month-old fledglings who have in-re-
cent days tried their wings outside the safe
confines of the nest will soon be off in
search of territories of their own.

FIRST, THBY will be taught to hunt by.
their parents, who'will circle above them
and then, with a closing motion of their
wings, swoop down near the prey intended
for their young to find. It is a lesson that
will be learned very quickly, for red-tailed
hawks are formiddable hunters by nature,
Bee explained.

‘A hawk will sit on its perch for hours,
then when it sees its prey, it'll dive down at
last,” he said. ‘‘They do miss, but not very’
often. #2

Their prey are mainly rodents —
especially small field mice — ‘small rab-
bits, squirrels, frogs and snakes — even the
deadly diamond-back rattlesnake. Rarely
will a red-tail become a-nuisance to man,
killing fowl or livestock, Bee said.

“It’s. really a shame. There are some
hawks that feed primarily on birds and
chickens,” Bee said, ‘‘but the hawks that
suffer are these red-tails, which are 95 to
100 percent beneficial to the farmer.

. They’re innocent.”’

Distinguishable by its distinctive rust-
red tailfeathers and hoarse, descending
shriek, the red-tail and all other hawks are
now protected from the vengeance of man
by federal law, Bee pointed out. In fact,
Bee said, the appearance of these birds is
becoming fairly commonplace today for

_ those who know what to watch for.

See Hawks, page 3B

Photos by Kent Van Hoesen

Hawks
return
to nest

(Continued from page 1B)

There are few more thrill-
ing sights for the birdwatcher
than the hawk on the wing as
it soars thousands of feet
overhead, riding on the warm
thermals of the earth’s at-
mosphere.

Man has long revered the
hawk, as evidenced by Egyp-
tian heiroglyphics of favored
royal falcons. It is perhaps
their regal appearance — the

beak proudly curved
downward in a fashion the an-
cients considered the height
of physical beauty, the eyes
focused straight ahead with
deadly aim — which inspires
such awe in man. Consider
the appellation ‘‘eyes like a
hawk.” _ .

“We think of ourselves as
such a very evolved
organism,” Bee said, “but
when it comes to eyes, we’re
very primitive in com-
parison.’’

Whether he’s hunting with
shotguns, poisoning with ~
pesticides or flooding with '
new reservoirs, man is the
hawk’s biggest enemy, Bee
said.

“Any other animal would
think twice about trying to
disturb a hawk,’’ he said.
“But man, he’s the outstan-
ding culprit.”’

(2) JouRNar woReep ToLy:3'&o