This Week Outdoors: Whenever a period of temporarily warmer temperatures come to Central Pennsylvania at this time of the year, raccoons will emerge from their hollow trees and burrows to forage for as much foods as they can find.

Q: Why is it prime time for bald eagle viewing in Pennsylvania? Gene Giza, Boiling Springs.

A: As more and more waters across the state - waters that are the normal fishing and scavenging spots for resident birds - ice over, the bald eagles are concentrated in larger numbers in smaller areas, where waters remain open to the birds.

Q: We have a red-tailed hawk that has been visiting us daily for at least two weeks. We feed him turkey, ham, chicken livers and such, and enjoy watching his eating habits. He waits about 15 minutes after we place the food before coming down to eat it. Then, after he eats, he perches on our pergola and cleans his beak by rubbing it up and down on the wood. We've been told that feeding him might not be a good idea as hawks hunt their own prey. Your thoughts? Shirley Wentzel, North Cornwall Twp.

A: From the legal side of this issue, only elk and bear feeding - intentional and unintentional through activities like bird feeding - is specifically banned in Pennsylvania. The state Game Commission also recommends against feeding deer and turkey, suggesting a habitat improvement approach rather than supplemental feeding.

Beyond what is legal, there are those who would discourage the practice of feeding a red-tailed hawk on principle. However, you likely are doing no harm to the bird, and may even being helping it through the depth of winter we are in now. Carrion, which is how the bird really views the treats you are offering, is a regular part of the species' natural food chain.

In addition, you probably are only supplementing the hawk's daily diet rather than causing the hawk to discontinue all of its natural hunting behaviors. According to Charles Preston in Wild Bird Guides: Red-tailed Hawk from Mechanicsburg-based Stackpole Books, in fall and winter, a redtail "consumes an average of four to five ounces of food per day. That is the equivalent of six to eight deer mice per day or one cottontail every four to six days."

The hawk probably is simply including your feeding station as part of its daily travels on the hunt. On the downside, it might also be taking some small mammals and songbirds in and near your backyard.

In addition, you may discover that the hawk has been defecating some pretty caustic material atop your pergola after its meal.

Send your nature questions, observations, photos and videos to Marcus Schneck at mschneck@comcast.net.