Normally when I go out to capture an animal in distress, I must rely on myself.

Calls rarely come in when several people are available to help in the capture.

One such case was years ago; I was binge-watching home improvement shows when a woman called me about a hawk that was at the ATM on Route 903. The bird had gotten into the plexiglass surround enclosure and could not figure out how to get back out.

I told her I was minutes from the bank and would see what I could do to help. It was late so I was not going to take the time to change into “street clothes” and I was certain the hawk was not going to judge my attire.

As I grabbed my car keys, my husband was putting on his shoes offering his help. I was not about to refuse — an extra pair of hands is always appreciated.

Sure enough, the hawk was in the corner of this enclosure and could not find its way out. I was amazed that it was a red-shouldered hawk. These hawks are medium-sized, with broad, rounded wings and medium-length tails that they fan out when soaring.

In flight, they often glide or soar with their wingtips pushed slightly forward. My field guide describes it as … “imparting a distinctive, reaching posture.”

Another field guide describes these birds as distinctively marked hawks, with barred reddish-peachy underparts and a strongly banded tail. In flight, translucent crescents near the wingtips help to identify the species at a distance.

Home sweet home

Our little neighborhood is perfect habitat for red-shouldered hawks, which live and nest in deciduous woodlands often near rivers, lakes and swamps.

Our development has several swampy areas, and the neighboring two developments have swampy areas, as well as a large lake. During migration, red-shouldered hawks often move high overhead along ridges or along the coast.

Prey includes voles, mice, moles, chipmunks, rabbits, squirrels, amphibians, snakes, birds, fish, crayfish and insects. They will take on prey the size of a ruffed grouse and blue jays.

During winters, red-shouldered hawks will resort to preying on birds at bird feeders.

Territorial courtship

Like almost all raptors, the red-shouldered hawks are monogamous and territorial. Courtship displays involve soaring together in broad circles and diving toward one another. Males may also perform the “sky-dance” by soaring high in the air and then making a series of steep dives and dramatic ascents. These courtship flights usually occur in late morning and early afternoon.

They mate between April and July. The breeding pair builds a stick nest (sometimes including shredded bark, leaves and moss) in a large tree. They often use the same nest year after year, making repairs to it annually in the spring. A pair of red-shouldered hawks added to the same nest for 16 consecutive years.

One of the most interesting things I have read about the nest building involves both the males and the females. They have been observed “fussing” with nesting material for a lengthy period. The males and females undoing what the other had done to suit them. My husband understands this as most husbands do. It is never right until the female is happy.

A large family

The clutch size is typically three to four eggs. The males will bring food to the female when she is incubating the eggs, but the males will also incubate the eggs occasionally. The young leave the nest at about six weeks of age, but remain dependent on the parents until they are about 4 months old.

Although they have an expected lifespan of 20 years old, few live half that long and only around half survive their first year. Natural causes, harsh weather conditions, or starvation are all causes of mortality.

Human disturbances such as hunting, collision with electric wires and cars, poisoning from insecticides and industrial pollutants, and logging are also hazards they face.

The oldest-known red-shouldered hawk was a female, and at least 25 years, 10 months old when she was recaptured and rereleased during banding operations in California in 2000.

She had been banded in the same state in 1974.

Dwindling population

Prior to 1900, the red-shouldered hawk was one of the most common North American raptors. Population numbers have decreased due to habitat loss since that time.

The changing of habitats has led to a population increase of the red-tailed hawks. Before its use was outlawed in the United States, red-shouldered hawks and other raptors suffered from exposure to DDT. DDT would cause their eggs to have thin, breakable shells, reducing their ability to reproduce.

Raccoons, fishers and black rat snakes prey on eggs, hatchlings, fledglings and occasionally incubating adults. Non-nesting adults have fewer natural predators, but they may be preyed on by other red-shouldered hawks, great horned owls, red-tailed hawks, barred owls, goshawks, bald eagles and golden eagles.

A study by a university in New York the main cause of “nest failure” was great horned owl predation. With similar diets and habitat preferences, studies have found that red-shouldered hawks can nest within 157 feet of a barred owl without any issues.

Red-shouldered hawks have been observed coexisting with crows and will work together with them to mob mutual predators, mainly great-horned owls and red-tailed hawks.

This teamwork known as mobbing is the equivalent of a football game.

Jeannie Carl is a naturalist at the Carbon County Environmental Education Center in Summit Hill. The center rehabilitates injured animals and educates the public on a variety of wildlife found in the area. For information on the Carbon County Environmental Center, visit www.carboneec.org.