Red-Tailed Hawk (Fledglings)

For the last 3 days I have noticed 2 large birds in an old cottonwood tree near my house. Today I decided to investigate! As I walked through a prairie dog town to get a closer look I could hear food cries from young Red-tailed Hawks. I sat in some tall grass under a tree and watched the clumsy babies for about an hour. They had recently fledged and would awkwardly fly from tree to tree but they liked coming back to the nest.

What is very exciting (at least to me) is that I believe that these are the offspring of a male Red-tail that lives near my house year round. I named him "Cessna" as he lives near a small airport and has a permanent wing droop due to an unknown injury. (Get it...single engine Cessna...anyway...) The nest is in the middle of what I believe is his territory. The adults can be regularly seen in these cottonwood trees year round and hunt the prairie dogs below. See pictures of the proud Papa here: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/10572127