Two Hawks, One Pigeon

In Part 5 of The Grant's Tomb Fledglings, shot on June 28, you'll get to see the three young red-tailed hawks between 9:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. First, the youngsters explore and cry and try to figure out the hunting thing they are expected to learn. One kid pounces on a napkin and, after carrying it to the top of a park bench, begins to "pluck" it. The napkin didn't stand a chance. Then one youngsters grabs a pigeon brought in by Mrs. Grant (also called Claremont), takes it to a tree, drops it, eats on the ground, then tries to protect the meal when a hungry sibling shows up to eat.

Two kids and one meal, right before grand theft pigeon.

The great hunter with the napkin prey.

You'll find Part 5 below. If you want to get to the sibling rivalry action without watching the beautiful babies pose, preen and hunt napkins, skip to minute 25 or thereabouts. You'll see one youngster with the pigeon meal dine on the ground until a sibling comes in, studies the situation, then grabs what remains.

All photos below show the young hawks on June 28 near Claremont Playground.

Fun on the Ground at Grant's Tomb

The three Grant's Tomb red-tailed hawk fledglings spent much of June 27 on the ground, chasing bugs, twigs, clover and other fascinating items near the Claremont Playground and behind the General Grant National Monument.

Grant's Tomb fledgling, north of the General Grant National Monument, June 27, 2017

Two hawk siblings near Claremont Playground, June 27

Parental supervision

Baby hawk vs. squirrel. The squirrel won.

The day was so filled with action that it warranted its own Chasing the Hawks video: The Grant's Tomb Fledglings, Part 4: June 27, 2017. So much fun to watch! Adult red-tailed hawks don't spend a lot of time on the ground. They tend to swoop down, grab the prey, then swoop back up to a tree to eat. But the babies are discovering what they can and can't do, and because they weren't designed to run on the grass, they often fall over as they hop around. You'll see that in the video.

The photos below are all from June 27.

The Grant's Tomb Fledglings: Beetles and Pancaking

Part 3 of The Grant's Tomb Fledglings videos features the fearless trio eating red beetles, running around on the ground, perching on park benches, pancaking (lying flat) on a ledge over a pedestrian tunnel, and screaming for food. Just normal behavior for the red-tailed fledglings on June 25 and 26.

Breakfast of champions! A fledgling eats a beetle near Claremont Playground.

The Chasing the Hawks video was filmed on June 25 and 26. 

These photos were taken on June 25 and 26. More can be seen on the Grant's Tomb Red-Tailed Hawks page.