BROAD-WINGED HAWK 239 



Lewis O. Shelley has sent me the following note on the mating 

 performance of the broad-winged hawk, as observed in the vicinity 

 of three old nests, at least one of which had been reconditioned: 



On May 1, 1934, as I was passing, a male broadwing was seen perched on a 

 limb beside the extreme northern nest ; and a female sat on a limb beside the 

 center nest, both birds facing east. The male commenced his moderate, whiny, 

 screamed call — the mating call — and after sis quick utterances flew over to 

 the female, who, seeing his act, turned to face the westward — part of the 

 mating maneuver. He alighted on her and mating, or copulation, was imme- 

 diate, lasting one full minute, the male continuing the mating call throughout 

 and balancing himself by leisurely half -flaps of the wings. He then flew to a 

 perch nearby and sat there in a noncommittal attitude. The mating call might 

 be called a wheezy whistle, with an intake of breath and then its expulsion, 

 this giving a 2-toned call that has a rather musical sound, as wliee-ooou. This 

 call was given each time he lowered the tail. 



Nesting. — Our experience with the nesting habits of the broad- 

 winged hawk in southeastern Massachusetts has been rather peculiar. 

 Although our records for the other hawks date back to 1882, it was 

 not until 1899 that we found our first nest of this species in Bristol 

 County. During those 17 years we were frequently hunting in suit- 

 able localities and finding numerous nests of red-shouldered, Coop- 

 er's, and sharp-shinned hawks, but we never even saw a broad- 

 winged hawk to recognize it. We were young then, and eyes and 

 ears were keen; it seems hardly likely that we overlooked it; and I 

 am inclined to think that it moved into our territory about the close 

 of the last century. Betwen 1899 and 1928 we found 23 nests, gen- 

 erally one or two nests in each season that we looked for them; in 

 1928 we found four nests; but since then we have been unable to 

 find another nest and rarely see a bird, though we have hunted the 

 same territory more carefully than ever. I now think they have left 

 us or become very rare. 



My notes fail to record the kind of tree in which two of the 

 nests were located, but of the 21 others 7 were in oaks, 6 in white 

 pines, 4 in chestnuts, 2 in pitch pines, and 1 each in a maple and a 

 gray birch. From this it appears that they show no great prefer- 

 ence for any particular species of tree. The nests were mostly at 

 moderate heights ; the highest was 40 feet from the ground in a large 

 white pine; the lowest was only 24 feet up in a gray birch, so slender 

 that it would hardly bear my weight; and all the others ranged in 

 height from 25 to 36 feet. In a deciduous tree the nest is usually 

 placed in the main crotch, supported by three or more branches, or 

 against the trunk on horizontal branches ; in a pine tree the latter is 

 the usual situation. I have never seen a nest out on a branch away 

 from the trunk. 



The nest is usually small and rather poorly built. I believe that 

 the hawks usually build a new nest each year, though they occasion- 



