I'm just going by the nesting habits of the bald eagles and goshawks around here, They prefer the highest trees with some bare limbs close to the top. This gives them a panoramic view of the surroundings. Perhaps your trees fit the bill more than others close by.
That friend who has 8 of them on his property says they are at the top of his tallest tree. But look at the 2 pics in this post. The branch in the first pic is barely higher than the 6' satellite dish mounting post off to the right. I can touch the branch that one is perched on in the second pic without stretching. When they see a critter crawl on the ground from this low, they don't swoop...they kinda fall straight down and land on it. That's what shocks me the most. A healthy fox could leap and grab them where they've chosen to sit (although this is not their sleeping roost.) They always return to that spot in late afternoon when there's plenty of daylight left, although their arrival time seems to be getting pushed back from maybe 5PM to closer to 7PM. I have seen one leave that roost in the early morning and fly to a higher perch at the end of the field, supposedly to put the sun at its back as it hunts (this species is not exclusively nocturnal.) Now, the hawks I have like the higher trees, although I've seen them perch on the bed rails of my truck. They are tougher to get pics of since they are so skittish. The best I can do is to stretch the limits of my small Canon Power Shot and shoot through windows:
I have to clarify that last. I haven't had my second cup of coffee. The high trees with bare limbs are where I've seen goshawks and bald eagles perch to hunt. The hawks I've observed hunt while they circle in an updraft as the buzzards do. The goshawk most often nests on a piling away from the shore. I don't know where the others nest.
I think it's easy to get confused between where they nest and where they settle to hunt for prey. Sometimes the same, sometimes not. Great pictures.
Understood. Yeh, I have no idea where these owls nest. The same goes for the hawks and the woodpeckers and all the other birds, except for the ones that nest under the eaves of the house and in the bushes. During the early spring I hear the hawks circling and screeching in various parts of the wooded property, but who knows where they actually live? edit to add: I could get even better pics if the darned things would sit still
I've found that freezing them with a fire extinguisher works to make them sit still, but then you have to take a blow dryer to them when you're done.
Lots of gun owners here [which so far I'm glad] but it seems they may be killing off wildlife[ which I'm NOT glad]. We use to have all kinds of owls and still have a few hawks. Haven't seen a fox in several years now. Still se wild turkeys and deer at times.
I'm sorry to hear that you wildlife has been diminished. I don't hunt but if I did it would only be for food. Between hunting and the expansion of civilization decreasing our natural habitats has threatened if not eliminated wildlife in those areas. I understand the need to discourage or remove the wildlife that threatens our food supply and our lively hood. I just wish there was a way to live side-by-side with the native species. A lot of areas have preserves to try and protect wildlife in that area. I just don't know enough whether or not these areas are checked that the animals are okay and surviving. I always felt that there should be a program similar to Noah's Ark to assure that all native species in this country are protected.
So many have moved into our area and cut down all the trees and forest,so that too is really affecring the wildlife. We try to keep our forest although we do have to fight vinees that kill all native plants and trees.We will have to do some clearing just remove the vines and try to keep the trees and native plants. Our deer family escaped last month after the storm fell a huge tree on our fence. So its wide open now. Haven't seen the mama or baby since storm.She did have 3 in past couple years with her.