On my recent trip to the Everglades the wildlife sightings were super sparse so I decided to take some time and check out a hawk's nest that I had been watching to see if there was any new activity.  As soon as I arrived I saw that there were now two chicks which had grown enough to move about the nest.  I quickly decided that this was most likely to be the day's high point so I found a shady spot and set up my tripod and a lawn chair and began my "stakeout" of the nest.

Hoping to catch one of the parents returning for a feeding session, I patiently began what was about a forty minute wait until that patience was finally rewarded when Momma returned carrying what looked like a large lubber grasshopper which she just dropped into the nest for the two chicks to devour on their own.  As she watched her brood in action she spread one of her wings.  At first I though she was just stretching but she maintained that position for quite some time so I am thinking she may have just been shading her chicks.  A few moments of rest from the never ending task of feeding these two and she was off on another hunting expedition. As soon as she left one of the chicks again climbed to the top of the nest and began to chirp "feed me" loudly to her as she perched in a nearby tree before flying off in search of the next meal. I actually thought it was going to fall out of the nest at one time when it climbed to the edge and began to flap its emerging wings.

Another hour passed and then Momma returned with the catch of the day.....a two foot plus long snake.  She spent the next thirty minutes picking it apart with her beak and talons and making sure each of her chicks were well fed.

After feeding the nestlings she ate a few leftovers and took a well deserved rest period for a few moments before again flying off in the endless task of feeding two ravenous and growing red shouldered hawk chicks.