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Two of North America’s most iconic raptors made appearances in town this week, with local resident Trevor Moore capturing remarkable photographs of a bald eagle and a red-tailed hawk just one day apart.
Moore spotted the bald eagle perched high in a leafless tree off Redstone Lane, its white head and dark brown body silhouetted against a crisp blue winter sky. The bird sat motionless among the bare branches, surveying the area below. A day earlier, Moore encountered the red-tailed hawk near the intersection of Chestnut and Walnut streets, where he observed the raptor feeding on prey in the snow beside a rhododendron bush heavy with white powder.
The close-up images of the hawk reveal the bird’s intense yellow eye and mottled brown-and-white plumage, along with traces of blood on its beak from a recent meal. The species is known to hunt small mammals such as voles, rats, rabbits and ground squirrels, often staking out open fields and suburban yards during winter months when prey is more visible against the snow.
According to the National Audubon Society, bald eagles are year-round residents across much of the United States, while red-tailed hawks at central or southern latitudes are often permanent residents in their territories. Both species were once threatened by the pesticide DDT, which caused eagles to lay eggs with shells too thin to survive incubation. Since the federal government banned the chemical in 1972, populations have rebounded dramatically.
While both raptors can be found throughout the year in many regions, winter often brings them into closer contact with human communities as they search for food. Birdwatchers and casual observers alike consider sightings within town limits a noteworthy occurrence.
