Red-tailed Hawk Nestcam

A new nest camera high above a Cornell University athletic field is streaming crystal-clear views of a Red-tailed Hawk nest via the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s All About Birds website at www.allaboutbirds.org/cornellhawks. The new camera stream puts viewers 80 feet off the ground
and right beside the nest, where they can watch the hawks arrive and see them taking turns
incubating eggs.

Cam viewers can compare the two parents, both of whom are banded birds. The male has a more golden-tawny face and is slightly smaller than the female, who has been nicknamed “Big Red” for her alma mater. The nest should be active for at least the next two months.

The parents have raised young here for the last four years or more. Earlier this spring, the pair added sticks and green pine boughs to the nest, and the male started bringing prey, such as squirrels and pigeons, to offer the female. On March 16, the first egg appeared. The birds will incubate for 28–35 days from the date the first egg was laid. More information is provided on the cam web page. The Cornell Lab plans to launch a full-featured BirdCams site in late April with many more species, including Osprey, Black Vulture, and Great Horned Owl.