It will be 11 years this summer that I met Flora. Actually Flint is Flora's second mate. My mom had passed away & I was feeling really blue. The dogs & I were on a walkies in the woods & stopped to rest for a bit. I looked up & saw this huge nest full of sticks. There was a huge bird up in the nest feeding some young & it flew down towards the dogs & I. I thought it was going to scrap my head & then swooped up into the air. After that as they say the rest is history.
Flora & Flint have raised many young red tails on our farm. They moved their nest a couple of years ago too a black cherry tree. Their territory consists of woods, open farm land with hay fields, farm ponds, & pastures where cattle graze. Flint & Flora live here year round & they have met many challenges sharing their territory with eagles, turkey vultures, owls, kestrels, coopers hawks, & red shoulder hawks, along with the invading raccoons enemies of all birds.

Flora has brown feathering on her head I call it dark chocolate. Flint has blonde feathering on his head. That is how I can tell them apart & Flora is larger in size.

Right now they have one chick Big Bird. Big Bird has fledged. There was a lot younger chick Little Bird a good 10-14 days younger then Big Bird. Little Bird has disappeared & the last time I saw it, it was in the nest on Sunday. I am thinking raccoon? Little Bird was feisty & holding its own but there is always murder & mayhem going on in the woods along with the peaceful scenes. You just never know what you a going to run into around the next corner?