Country roads can take me home, but we enjoy driving from post to post to post—especially in early September. King, Henry IV of France wished for “a chicken in every pot” for every peasant during the late 16th or early 17th century. We hope for a hawk on every post.
Adult and juvenile hawks, mainly Swainson’s hawks, adorn the posts along several rural farm and ranching areas east of Calgary. The Swainson’s hawk is a large hawk which can wear a variety of colour patterns, clearly evident on the youthful post sitters.
Since they don’t yet see humans as dangerous, it is not unusual to be able to drive up and stop right beside a juvenile and press the shutter button several times. Adults, though, do not have the same naivety and are more likely to head for a hay bale distant from any curious human.
Juveniles sport a heavily streaked or speckled chest, while the adult’s chest, often called a bib, is a solid and clearly-edged reddish to dark brown chest band. The tail also provides indications of age: juveniles have a narrow, less distinctive dark tail band, while that of the adult has a clearly defined wider, dark band near the tip of the tail.
Although the majority of post sitters are Swainson’s, we’ve had the opportunity to see northern harrier, ferruginous, and red-tailed hawks make use of man’s practical fence line. For us though, fencepost sightings of these three raptors have been rare.
Larger trees are often used as perches, but there are good reasons for any hawk to use the multitude of posts in farm country. With the hawks’ eyesight eight times better than human sight, a post is a fine location for a clear view of fields, grass, and roads. It’s easier to track movement of a mouse and see the ultraviolet light that marks a mouse’s trail on the ground. Roadkill can be spotted with ease, making for a quick hunt.
Posts also provide a fine launch pad for clear lines of flight when searching for or pursuing prey. Post tops can serve as tables, where the hawk can disassemble a gopher or any other rodent within its talons.
After a sumptuous meal, rest and relaxation aid in meal digestion. With incredible distances of migration to complete, posts can be used to rest, moult feathers, and conserve strength in bad weather.
“Going post-all,” peering down the fence lines on a birding drive can be rewarding. You may not see a chicken on every post, but there’s always a chance of appreciating our magnificent hawk species.
