Hawk Happenings: About the Nest

September 8, 2020

Hawk Happenings is the second Bird Cams Lab investigation to collect data about the Red-tailed Hawks featured on the Cornell Hawks cam (the first was Hawk Talk). From May to June 2020, participants used a data tagging tool to record hawk behavior live while watching the cam.

The Cornell Hawks cam follows a pair of Red-tailed Hawks that have been nesting above Cornell University’s athletic fields since 2012. The hawks have used two different light towers for their nest sites. In 2012, 2015, 2018, and 2019 they used a tower near Fernow Hall, and in 2013, 2014, and 2016 they used the tower nearest Weill Hall. The Cornell Lab of Ornithology installed cameras to get a better look at the intimate behavior of these well-known birds as they raise their young amid the bustle of a busy college campus.