Ecoguardian  Derek Sterling posted this photo of a red-tailed hawk at Race Rocks in April 2023:
https://racerocks.ca/hawk-and-tag/

On April 2, 2011, this red tailed hawk visited the reserve. Ryan got some great shots of it as it soared over the island and landed for a brief time.

	Images by Ryan Murphy

Pam Birley also got some pictures that day as it landed up near the remote camera 5.

RECORD OF STRANGE BEHAVIOUR OF RED TAIL HAWK
April 17, 2009:

October 9, 2003: Virgil Hawkes and I, of LGL Limited, were conducting a monitoring session as part of our research on the effects of disturbance on marine birds and mammals at Race Rocks Ecological Reserve, British Columbia. At 15:20, something scared hundreds of Thayer’s Gulls from an area just north of the light tower on Great Race Rock. We figured it was likely a Bald Eagle or Peregrine Falcon, based on the gulls’ behaviour. We then spotted an adult Red-tailed Hawk flying in from the northeast. It landed on a rock right in front of a large male California sealion (photo). The hawk looked very tired and was breathing hard. Perhaps it had attempted to migrate across the Strait of Juan de Fuca, but had to turn back (all day, wind direction was unfavourable for such a crossing). We figured it would just rest up then head back to Vancouver Island. At 15:38 we were observing it once again when suddenly, the hawk collapsed and fell backwards into a crevice. A few seconds later a surge of water flushed the bird into view. It was facing breast-down in the water, lifeless. The surge then drew it back into the crevice and out of view. We were interested in retrieving the carcass for further inspection of its body condition (besides it being a beautiful specimen), but in keeping with the conditions of our research permit and because doing so would have caused many sealions to charge off into the water, we refrained. We were just left to contemplate the strange event and consider ourselves fortunate to have witnessed one of nature’s fascinating dramas.” ( Mike Demarchi)

April 17, 2009: by Ryan Murphy:
” I was out to check on the engine and here was this little brick-red
hawk being chased by 30 gulls in 20+ knot wind.  I noted the light
band between the tail and body and pattern under the wings.  It was
just smaller than the gulls, I’d say in the 45-55″ wingspan range.  To
me it looked like a cross between a light and intermediate red-tailed
hawk according to Sibley.”
Other Members of the Class Aves at Race Rocks.

Return to the Race Rocks Taxonomy and Image File

The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams. Carolina Munoz PC yr 27.