One of the first tell-tale signs that you may be near a bird nest or nesting grounds is witnessing a mating display, which can be difficult to spot or hard to miss depending on the bird. For instance, a potential pair of red-tailed hawks will circle each other way up in the sky, making their iconic hawk screech (which you may recognize whenever there’s a bald eagle on TV), before the male does a series of showy dives, flight maneuvers, or even handing off prey to the female mid-flight, finally letting down his legs and touching her briefly from above. It’s less likely you’ll see smaller birds doing their displays, but it’s always a possibility!
