A pair of red-tailed hawks built a nest on the support structure of the SR99 George Washington Memorial Bridge (a.k.a. Aurora Bridge), laid an egg and now further work painting and restoring the historic bridge will wait as the hawkling grows strong.
It is rare for red-tailed haws to nest on a bridge. They typically nest their egg in trees. In rare cases, they’ll build on a high-rise building. While Washington State Department of Transportation sees their job as being caretakers of highway infrastructure, including the historic Aurora Bridge, but the department also works to protect wildlife (click here to learn about policies & procedures.) Ensuring the egg’s survival has meant coordinating agencies, and the contractor, as well as seeking patience, and a bit of luck, for all concerned.
This is the second time a nest has been found on the Bridge structure, and it is possible that the same birds built both. Unfortunately, that first nest was discovered where workers were already painting, and the nest was moved and the egg given to the Burke Museum.
“We wanted to prevent a similar situation this time,” acknowledged biology-lead Katina Kapantais, “so we kept an eye out for them. We saw them hanging out around the bridge, but we never saw a nest.” Usually it takes red-tailed hawks weeks to set a nest, but these two are exceptional not only in their choice of site but also building ability – a nest appeared over a holiday weekend, in three or four days. Over Easter, the two not only built a nest but also laid an egg.
Kapantais explained that while they initially thought to move the nest again, the contractor, Liberty Maintenance, proposed working around it. They submitted a plan to the Washington State Department of Fish & Wildlife, which has been reviewed and signed off.
Best of all, the efforts have already paid off! The egg hatched in early May and the baby bird (nicknamed ‘Gerry’) has taken flight and left the nest for higher beams in the Aurora Bridge structure. The young hawk will stay near the nest for a few months, until he finds the strength to hunt and fly. Even in ideal circumstances, a baby red-tailed hawk has about a 50% chance of survival, with flight school being a pass/fail course and abandonment by parents being another strong possibility. “The fact that this one survived, with roads and water below, is great news,” Kapantais acknowledged.
A bit more patience will be required of everyone while Gerry continues to grow, and fly. Painting of the Aurora Bridge structure will continue, with care and consideration for all the neighbors. Find more details about the work being done on the WSDOT website, and look for Gerry flying overhead for the next few months!