The red-tailed hawk is best identified by it's red tail, though it
is not easy to see the coloration unless the bird is close enough.
The red-tailed hawk is the most common hawk in North America. It
is a large bird, weighing between 2 and 4 pounds. There is a
tremendous amount of individual variation in plumage. The adult has
a brick red colored tail that may or may not have a black terminal
bar.
Adults are generally dark brown on the back and the top of their
wings. The underside of the bird is usually light colored with a
dark belly band, and a cinnamon wash on the neck and chest.
However, there are variations.
As a general rule, the red-tailed hawk inhabits open areas
interspersed with patches of trees. It prefers a high perch, from
which it can keep an eye on potential prey.
The availability of perches is critical for this "sit and wait"
type of predator. The availability of tall trees for nesting with
foraging habitat nearby is important.
When swooping on prey, the wings are set into a glide pattern
about 15 feet from the animal. At 10 feet, the legs are extended
and the final strike usually made with one foot farther ahead than
the other. On impact, the bird then drops onto its "heels." Small
prey is carried to a feeding perch and may be swallowed whole. If
the prey is large, it may be partially dismembered and consumed
before being taken to a feeding perch. The hawk is known to cache
their uneaten food, and return later when hungry again.
In forested areas, the nest is typically placed in the upper
canopy of tall trees within woodlots or other fragmented forest
clumps. The nest tree may be taller than surrounding trees or on a
higher slope. The nest tends to be placed near the edges of dense
stands with more open rather than closed canopies.
This is one of a series of caches along the Chippewa River
Trail. The route traces quiet countryside and broad meanders of the
Chippewa River. For the most part, it follows the rail bed of the
Milwaukee Road railway, built in 1882, which connected Eau Claire
to Red Wing, Minnesota. The railway was abandoned in 1980.
The Chippewa River was once the "Road of War" for the Ojibwe
(Chippewa) and Dakota (Sioux). It was a direct canoe route between
the center of Dakota power at the north end of Lake Pepin and
Ojibwe territory in northwestern Wisconsin. The conflict raged for
more than 150 years with the last battle taking place near Eau
Claire in 1854. The trail goes though the Lower Chippewa River
Valley, an area with much remaining natural habitat, including 50%
of the states plant species, 70% of the state's fish species, 75%
of the state's nesting bird species and 25% of all native prairies
remaining in the state. A trail pass is not required to bike on
this part of the trail.