A few weeks ago, I wrote about a short walk that I often take at work. It is on my employer’s property and, despite being a small piece of land that takes only five minutes to walk, it has a mix of habitat that includes a meadow, stream, pond and woods.

A few days after I had written that column, I took a walk there and discovered something new. I had noticed on previous walks a Y in a large tree and thought maybe there were some sticks or leaves in the crotch. It was too small for a squirrel’s nest, and it didn’t seem significant enough to be any other type of nest, so I kept on walking. I figured it was just the collection of a few sticks and leaves that had fallen throughout the year.

One day, however, I noticed movement in the area. Upon inspection, it turned out to be the nest of a red-shouldered hawk family. Two young birds were eating a squirrel, chipmunk or some other small mammal. No adults were present.

The next day, I took another walk, and an adult bird was tearing apart a meal. I didn’t notice the young birds right away, but when the adult sat upright after picking off a morsel, I saw the young ones to either side behind the adult.