| The red-shouldered hawk was once relatively common throughout southwest Ohio. Its pleasing high-pitched, two syllable 'kee-you,' repeated a half dozen (or more) times in rapid succession was one of the most familiar sounds in the woods during my early hikes in the 1940's. The birds displayed a particular affinity to the beech-maple woodlands; every beechwood had its pair of red-shouldered hawks and many more occupied the wooded areas bordering the small, clear limestone creeks.
In the late 40's and 50's the beech trees began falling to development. Gradually, the streams, which provided food for the hawks, no longer ran clean. In less than a decade, one of the characteristic life forms of south-western Ohio was reduced to a mere remnant. Even Winton Woods, which had always harbored five active pairs, was suddenly devoid of one of my favorite birds.
Wildlife species at the top of their food-chain, such as the red-shouldered hawk, serve as barometers of the quality of the environment; we are well advised to heed their warnings. The Hamilton County Park District continues to implement a water monitoring program, to maintain water quality within its Jurisdiction, in an effort to provide safe food for its wildlife visitors.
Length 19 inches, wingspan to 40 inches
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