FLORIDA KED-SHOULDEEED HAWK 201 



fly out from the swamp. We waded in, where the water was less 

 than knee deep, and found the nest about 60 feet up in a tall cypress. 

 It was a new nest but still empty. Bendire (1892) mentions two 

 nests found by Dr. Kalph in pine trees in cypress swamps ; one was 

 57 feet and one 40 feet from the ground. 



These hawks nest more abundantly in the small mixed hammocks 

 along the Kissimmee River than I have ever found them elsewhere 

 (pi. 58). Walter B. Savary found no less than 65 nests in this 

 region, in an area about 10 miles long by 5 miles wide, during a sin- 

 gle season. Of these, 35 were in cabbage palmettos, 15 in live oaks, 

 10 in gums, 3 in bays, and 1 each in a maple and a myrtle. The 

 highest nest was 60 feet from the ground in a tall, slender gum, and 

 the lowest was only 9 feet up in a myrtle. Practically all the nests 

 were in small, mixed hammocks of an acre, or less, in area; some 

 were in trees in small clumps of bushes, not tall enough to screen 

 the nests from view. As to the placing of the nests, he says in his 

 notes that in palmettos the nests are invariably placed "on the dead 

 leaf stubs just beneath the living fronds; a caracara always builds 

 among the live stems, but I never have found a hawk's nest so situ- 

 ated. If an oak is chosen, the bird seeks either a very leaning trunk, 

 on which she can set the foundation, or a slanting limb." 



As Mr. Savary made an extended stay in this region, he was able 

 to learn some interesting facts and has sent me some elaborate notes. 

 One discovery showed the length of time that the nest is occupied 

 before the eggs are laid; the hawk "stakes out its claim", as it were, 

 long in advance and guards its chosen territory against all intrud- 

 ers. "Once a location is settled upon the birds cling to it year after 

 year. So attached are they to their home site that to hold it against 

 intrusion they mark the nest with green leaves several weeks before 

 laying, thus letting others know that the premises are preempted." 

 In one striking instance he flushed a hawk off its nest on January 18 

 and on climbing to it found only a fresh spray of airplant in the 

 nest. Expecting to find eggs soon, he climbed to it again five days 

 later but found only the airplant in place. After a further lapse of 

 two weeks the airplant marker was still in the nest, but dry and 

 crisp ; thinking the nest was deserted, he threw out the marker and 

 "left the nest for at least a month." About March 5 he found that 

 the hawk "had renewed her signature by placing a spray of myrtle" 

 in the nest. Finally, on March 14, nearly two months after noting 

 the first sign, he found two eggs in the nest. 



Eggs. — The number of eggs laid by the Florida red-shouldered 

 hawk is usually two, occasionally three, and very rarely four. The 

 eggs differ from those of the species elsewhere only in size; they 

 show similar wide variations in types and colors of markings. The 



83561—37 14 



