By Tom Brown – Site Manager – Paton Center for Hummingbirds
Spring has sprung!
I think each person, depending on what part of the country they grew up in, has a unique “thing” that represents the first of spring for them. Daffodils coming up out of the frozen ground, the rose bushes starting to bud out, fruit tress blooming, and for some it is the arrival of the first American Robins of spring. For me personally, the true harbinger of spring here in the Patagonia area, is the arrival of the Gray Hawks. I usually hear their unique call, before actually getting to see them, as they return to begin setting up territories and looking for a nesting site amongst the Cottonwood trees.
A smaller hawk, with short stocky wings and a rather long tail, these are relatively fast flying birds, with quick wing beats when circling overhead. The pale gray color on both the front and back of the bird is quite distinctive, with a black and white striped tail.
As of this writing, there are two pairs of Gray Hawk, in the riparian area between the Paton Center for Hummingbirds and the Nature Conservancy property. Please feel free to stop by the Paton Center some morning, and perhaps we will be able to point out one of the beautiful birds as it circles overhead!