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Posted by Jeff Weber on 13:40:19 04/24/05
In Reply to: Re: Status of Common Black Hawk (was Re: Bill Baggs Cape Florida TAS walk) posted by John Boyd
:I saw a Great Black Hawk in a kettle of TVs at Matheson Hammock right after the "100-year storm" in the winter of 1992-93. Juan Villamil saw it with me, as I recall. My question is whether the bird at Crandon was being seen prior to this time. If not, the bird we saw at Matheson could be the first sighting of this species in the Miami area. If so, the bird we saw at Matheson could have bred with the hawk already here to provide the offspring that's still being seen. Because of the timing link to the big storm, I have always felt it is possible this bird could have been blown northward through the Caribbean from Central America or Venezuela. The idea of it being an escaped bird seems implausible to me, as these hawks have never been popular in falconry, to my knowledge (especially since they mostly eat mangrove crabs).
: : John Boyd's post casually mentioned seeing "the Great Black Hawk" over the north end of Crandon Park. Is this considered to be a wild (i.e., "countable") bird, or is it thought to be an escape?
:
: It's a Great Black Hawk (not Common) and is thought to be an escapee or descendant thereof. Over the years there has probably been more than one bird involved.
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