Watch 3 'Teenage' Hawks Learn To Fly In South Orange County

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA — Nature lover and photographer Kristine Erickson has been watching a nest of baby hawks since they were but eggs. In a video she recorded during the last days of April, these "teenage" birds did their best to learn how to fly.

That was a few weeks ago.

Erickson regularly sets out into the wilderness to photograph nature.

On Friday, she tells Patch that Birdwatchers recently took one of the chicks to the Orange County Bird of Prey Center after getting a rabbit backbone stuck in its beak. The non-profit that cares for South Orange County's wild bird population actively sees the bird back to health.

It fell from the nest and to the ground, she says.

"Another bird watcher rescued it and took it to the center," she says. "Thank goodness other bird watchers saw it happen, just the right time and place." Now, that bird is once again eating on its own. Soon, with some luck, it will be released back into the wild.

The two other birds have since started hunting on their own.

Erickson doesn't name the location of this nest out of respect for the raptors, though she did invest in a tripod to study the creatures.

"Everything I've learned about the hawks is from fellow bird watchers," she says.

She doesn't sell her photos but loves to share them with fellow nature lovers over Facebook. Be sure and follow her work: Kristine Erickson on Facebook.