A Pair of Guaraguao (Hawks)

Red Tail Hawk is a majestic predator who also will scavenge when convenient.  We often find him hanging out around a carcass with the Vultures who defer to him and only swoop in once he is finished eating.  We also find him flying with the Eagles from time to time. His red tail is easily seen and his size singles him out from the smaller falcons and the very small sparrow hawks.  We see him frequently flying in to chase away the falcons who attack our pigeons.  It is only very rarely when Red Tail will eat a pigeon, only if he has no other options, whereas the falcons seem to become obsessed with pigeon!

Red Tail transforms in color from summer to winter, he darkens in the winter.  Driving down the road we came upon a road killed deer carcass and two hawks who were scavenging.   Red Tail Hawk pairs will mate for life and raise their young together every year, they also tend to stay in the same territory and will guard it fiercely! 

We noticed that one of the hawks has a tag (a leg band) indicating that this hawk was either released after injured or was part of some kind of research project.  They are a protected species and they can be seen all over this area in abundance.  

The Red Tails are able to ride the currents and flows within the air and their flight is spectacular to watch.  Of course as a predator their eyesight is supreme.  When we stopped to watch them they left the carcass and flew up to this tree, however they stare down at us intensely, not giving up their territory or withdrawing their energy from the carcass.  Clearly embodying the spirit of leadership!

At this time of year the deer are on the move.  Earlier in the summer they are in small groupings of mother and fawns and sometimes in slightly larger groups grazing.  They tend to stay in the forests and fields.  From time to time we see their beautiful white flecked fawns.  By this time the fawns have lost their spots.  They habitually follow trails (deer trails) and will often cross the road at the same location day after day.  At this time of year the bucks are also very very active and also are often killed on the road.  At this time of year the deers are either running away from the hunters or chasing the scent of mating.  This causes a lot of carcasses to show up near the road.  

Although from time to time someone will pick up one of the carcasses, generally it stays and the various animals take advantage of the death of the deer.  We recently saw a buck on the side of the road and decided to pick it up, the local police stopped by and we asked if it was okay to take the buck, the policeman said sure and gave us a "permit" to transport the deer.  It was a surprise to us to discover that one needs a "permit" to transport a dead deer, even a deer that was killed on the road, and for sure most deers do not get permits to move them from one place to another.  In this area there are those who we know who are in the practice of eating road kill, especially in the winter when the carcass does not decompose quickly, some folks have survived difficult times in this way.  Probably the least honorable and least sensible way is for the county to pick up the carcass and throw it in a dump.  When either people, or the animals eat the deer then the death of the deer is utilized to sustain life.

The most common scavengers that we see during the day here are the hawks, the turkey vulture, the buzzards and of course the most adept scavengers of all, the crows!  The Red Tail Hawk has its preference for food: rabbits, rodents and snakes, but ever adaptable the hawk adapts to other conditions and to the winter season when snakes are underground, rabbits and rodents less visible, and will quickly take advantage of a road kill!  We pass by each day and observe the different birds eating the carcass.  From the perspective of Palo and Taino this is a fascinating story of death and life and a opportunity to observe first hand the behaviors of the various birds that are also significant within Palo and Taino traditions!