 Introduction
I live in the center of Silicon Valley, in the midst of
miles of suburbia. Yet close to me is an oasis of sorts. It's a plot of
land owned by a local water company, who would dearly like to sell it to
land developers. Their problem is lack of access. At one time the water
company offered to buy my neighbor's house, so they could tear it down and
pave a street to the property. I was afraid that an apartment complex would
be constructed there, but the property has been zoned residential, which
allows only single-family homes to be built, like the rest of the neighborhood.
Within the property is a red-tailed hawk nest. The hawks
have been documented as nesting there for at least 80 years.
Each year a pair has young usually two survive. The
brown juveniles rely on their parents for food into the late spring before
they learn to fly. The hawks keep down the rodent population, both squirrels
and ubiquitous moles, as well as the dove population, which also nests nearby.
Although it is a species of hunting bird common to the
United States, with every new housing development, the red-tailed hawk is
quickly losing its habitat in the San Francisco Bay Area. The land where
these hawks live is as yet undeveloped. I hope it will stay that way. | 
