I was at Strong Hall on the MSU campus last week. When I walked out the front door I encountered this red-tailed hawk in the shrubs across the drive. After it watch me for a minute it took off as seen below.
I found an article on the Campus Hawks in the MSU Standard Newspaper and contacted Taylor Hires of the MSU Bird Club. He says that there at least a pair on campus and there are reports of three hawks circling above campus at a time. Here is his further report:
"As far as I've seen, there are several hawk nests visible on campus - these nests were either abandoned before they were fully built, used in previous years, or are currently active. Two of the nests are in the quad outside of Carrington Hall. Look for them in the row of dawn redwoods on the north side of the quad - one nest is in the redwood closest to Carrington. (I believe they built that nest last year.) The other is a few trees away next to the parking lot. I've talked to Becky Swearingen (a member of GOAS, Greater Ozarks Audubon Society) and she believes one of these nests may be in use, since the hawks have been very active in the quad. I have also noticed that you're much more likely to see the hawks on the south side of campus, in the library/football stadium/quad area."
The hawks are well-loved by students on campus! I've heard so many stories, mostly from non-birders, about weird behaviors they observed from the campus hawks. I've been told that some marching band students unofficially adopted the red-tailed hawks as mascots because they can often be seen circling overhead during band rehearsal in the football stadium. I personally like to watch them antagonize the campus pigeons. I think it's really cool that we all get to see wildlife up close on a day-to-day basis, and I was excited that they had generated enough interest to warrant an article in the student newspaper!"
It is nice to know that when you are a busy student on campus and can't get away, some nature comes to you. Becky Swearingen filmed a hawk dining outside her office window on campus. You can see it here on Youtube.
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