Red-tailed Hawk, Same Time, Same Place

This morning there was a Red-tailed Hawk, sitting in the early golden light, in our tree in the middle of our big field, photo above. Funny thing is, we had a Red-tailed Hawk show up just about the same time last year, sitting in just about the same spot. We even had a Redtail juvenile show up in early Dec., one year, and sit in just about the same spot. Could this morning's bird be the same Redtail from last year? A likely possibility, since birds are creatures of habit. They often stop at the same places during their migration, just as we humans often stop at the same restaurants or motels on our travels. Known places are an advantage.
Several years ago, there was a Red-tailed Hawk released on our property as part of a fundraiser for a nearby raptor migration observatory. We called her "Chance" because she was given a second chance in life. She stayed around our area for the summer then disappeared in late fall, probably migrating, we thought. Could this redtail that appeared in the fall be her? We like to think so, but, who know.

Photo © Lillian Stokes, 2007