Guide

Listen forBirds

Red-shouldered hawk screams, and the jays that copy them

March to April

A pair of red-shouldered hawks calls a loud, clear two-note scream again and again during courtship flights, and Mass Audubon says blue jays can mimic it almost perfectly. Mass Audubon's own trail guide says that if you are lucky you may hear one from the Overlook on the Tidmarsh All Persons Trail, and that they are especially noisy in March and April.

Why this time of year

Mass Audubon's atlas account says courtship runs through March and April, most often in mid-March, and that the calling stops once eggs are laid; most eggs are laid from early to mid-April, and some pairs in eastern Massachusetts may have eggs by late March. So the loud calling may tail off as April goes on.

How to notice it

  1. Follow the stone dust All Persons Trail at Mass Audubon's Tidmarsh Wildlife Sanctuary to the Overlook, where the path turns to wooden planks and there is seating on three sides, and listen for a loud, clear, two-note scream repeated in a series above the treetops.
  2. When you hear it, look up: the guide says the hawk may be perched or flying high above the canopy, and Mass Audubon's atlas says pairs call during aerial courtship displays.
  3. Try to see the bird before you decide. Mass Audubon notes that blue jays can mimic this call almost perfectly.
  4. Come back in May and notice the quiet: once a pair has eggs, the calling stops and the birds keep a low profile for the rest of the season.

Try this with kids: Close your eyes at the overlook and raise a hand every time you hear the hawk call from the sky.

Phrase to know: A “courtship display” is the flights and calls a pair uses to bond before nesting.

Safety

  • Mass Audubon says Tidmarsh trails are not maintained during winter weather, so surfaces and footing may be slippery.

Sources

  • massaudubon.orgMass Audubon, Tidmarsh accessibility page (landowner, primary): 'This ADA-compliant All Persons Trail is surfaced with a stone dust mixture'; 'trails are not maintained during winter weather so surfaces and footing may be slippery.' (read 2026-11-10)
  • massaudubon.orgTidmarsh All Persons Trail tour booklet (landowner, primary; PDF created 2023-05-23): trail 'approximately 1,400 feet long and surfaced with a stone dust mixture'; surface 'changes to wooden segments just before the Overlook'; Overlook seating on three sides; Red-shouldered Hawk 'loud, clear, two-syllable scream' and 'especially noisy in March and April during their courtship and mating season.' (read 2026-11-10)
  • massaudubon.orgMass Audubon Breeding Bird Atlas 1 account, Red-shouldered Hawk (data 1975-1979): 'During courtship in March and April (most often in mid-March)'; call 'repeated while the pair performs aerial courtship displays'; 'Once eggs are laid, the calling ceases'; 'Most eggs are laid from early to mid-April'; 'Blue Jays can mimic this call almost perfectly'; 'virtually absent on Cape and Islands.' (read 2026-11-10)
  • massaudubon.orgMass Audubon, Tidmarsh main page: trails open 'Daily dawn to dusk'; former cranberry farm restored to streams, ponds, forest and woodlands. (read 2026-11-10)

Checked against these sources on November 10, 2026.

In the guide for March, April

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