I have a hawk living in my yard (3 Miles from Chicago!)

[Chicago Democrat]

Yay!

It makes me happy. It will be a very fat hawk with all the squirrels and bunnies around.

[clydefrand]

1. Congratulations! What kind is it? Give description please.

Birder from VA

[Red_Viking]

5. Question about hawks--

I live in Oregon and there is a pair of hawks that has a nest somewhere close by. We see them together sometimes, or alone, probably hunting. They keep to this general area. Several times, I've seen a pair of crows hassling one of the hawks. They always go after one, never both. Today the crows were really yelling at the hawk and harassing it (not sure if it's mom or dad!). The hawk seemed calm, and kept circling, I assume to hunt. But, another time, the crows were really after one of the hawks, and it kept calling for the other one. The second hawk finally showed up (it was amazing--came streaking across the sky) and the crows split.

Any idea what's going on? I have no clue! But I have enjoyed watching them, and listening to them cry out. I love that sound. :)

Thanks for the info!

Peace,

RV

[AlienGirl]

8. Crows hassle hawks a lot

The crows would like to chase the hawks out and make them go nest somewhere else. The hawks will put up with it sometimes. On that one occasion, it sounds like the hawk had just had enough and wanted to hunt in peace!

Tucker

[Ladyhawk]

13. A couple of months ago I saw ravens hassling a bald eagle.

Corvids hassle raptors.

[amazona]

32. and mockingbirds hassle crows

It's the great circle of life. At least with birds it is the smaller more maneuverable bird that does the hassling instead of some big bully stomping in.

The conservation movement is a breeding ground of communists
and other subversives. We intend to clean them out,
even if it means rounding up every birdwatcher in the country.
--John Mitchell, US Attorney General 1969-72

[Ladyhawk]

38. They sure do! I have a personal experience with this.

I finished raising a nearly-fledged crow that had almost become cat food. The crow was fully-flighted and had gained a lot of weight by the time I took him back down to Fresno, where I went to college. The mockingbirds harassed him incessantly and once, when I was feeding the crow, I managed to knock one of the mockingbirds out of the air with my hand! Luckily, I didn't hurt the bird. He flew up to a low branch and gave me a good sassing, though. :)

[clydefrand]

9. Song birds as well as crows always try to chase hawks and other

birds of prey out of their territory. About 3 or 4 years ago I witnessed a hawk trying to run a bald eagle out its area. After a while the eagle gently glided towards the river and the hawk went in the opposite direction.

Small birds and crows sometimes gang upon the hawks to run them away. When the other bird of prey came streaking through, the others scattered so they wouldn't become their lunch/dinner!

I so enjoy watching the activities of birds. I've watched a cardinal sit on my feeder perfectly still for minutes at a time because a hawk was nearby. No movement to the hawk's eye means no food, I suppose. But as soon as the hawk was away, the cardinal did a mad dive for cover in the shrubs.

[Red_Viking]

10. Thanks! (Both of you!)

Fascinating info.

I also found some websites describing the behavior, and one talking about all the fascinating qualities of crows. They're quite bright. I'll enjoy watching them!

In Texas, where I'm from, we have plenty of birds, but not nearly the variety I've seen in Oregon. I got a great book designed for bird dummies like me--it's color-coded! You look up the bird based on its predominant color. I love it!

Thanks again for the info. I'll keep watching the show!

Peace,

RV

[Ladyhawk]

15. All the corvids are very intelligent. So are parrots. :D

Corvids include crows, ravens, magpies, etc. Ravens are my favorite corvids, probably because they're so freaking big.

[AlienGirl]

22. Animal Planet's Most Extreme picked parrot

as the Planet's Most Extreme Intelligence! Chimps were #2, and dolphins, I think, were #3.

Tucker

[Ladyhawk]

26. Yep, I saw that episode. Twice.

Alex the African grey and Keas from NZ are used to make the point. Killer whales (orcas) are actually quite a bit smarter than bottlenosed dolphins, but since killer whales are a species of dolphin, Animal Planet still got it right. I think either ravens or crows were #4. I think it was a crow that had learned to make tools out of bits of wire. Very clever indeed!

BTW, have you ever seen video of Keas destroying cars at NZ ski slopes? Hysterically funny--but not for the owners of the vehicles. :) The Keas were just helping those itchy cars, that's all!

[Kat45]

29. I've seen the video of the keas..

It was a riot to watch them, though of course it wasn't funny to the car owners. I also saw a video of a crow making a hook out of a piece of wire in order to retrieve some food from the bottom of a container.

I love watching bird behavior. :-)

Are you feeling better, Ladyhawk?

[Ladyhawk]

31. I love watching bird behavior, too.

I seem to remember a kea lying on its back in the snow kicking a recently-removed windshield wiper blade into the air with its feet. :) They're such innocent-looking little parrots, but very, very naughty! I can't think of another parrot species that lives on snowy mountains, can you?



BTW, do you have more pics of Grace? Such a tiny little character. :)

On edit: right now my neck isn't happy without the cervical collar, but it's so hot, I'm dripping sweat! Talk about hot under the collar! :D

[AlienGirl]

33. Xen and I joke about invading countries with armies of parrots!

We call it "Squak and Aww!" and I think keas would be the perfect Psittacine of Mass Destruction!

Tucker

[Chicago Democrat]

27. I am not too sure. I only saw its back, but my neighbor said she

saw it before. So its living here.


I would say it is brownish mixed color much bigger than most birds.

[Ladyhawk]

30. That describes nearly every species of hawk. :D hehe

On edit: I'd like to learn my birds of prey a bit better. Mostly we have redtails around here, which are easy to identify.

[Renew Deal]

2. $50 says this will become a flame war.

Just watch. You advocated killing squirrels and delicious bunnies. It doesn't matter that the killer is a hawk. Just sit back and watch. :popcorn:

[Ladyhawk]

11. Some people can't take nature in the raw.

One of my online friends is that way. She loves cats, but can't seem to come to grip with the fact that they are one of nature's most terrible killers. In fact, cats are one of the few predators that kill for pleasure. They kill whether they're hungry or not. It's just what cats do.

All my life I've watched nature. While I don't believe in casual killing, I can watch the natural process and realize it is what it is. :shrug: I've seen lots of predation behavior. I even saw a killer whale chase and finally kill a sea lion. While I felt for the sea lion, I realized the killer whale had to eat.

Nature is beauty and brutality in equal measure.

[Southsideirish]

24. Eagle attacked white "show" rabbits in outdoor restr'nt. display - kids

were screaming, families fled in horror...
I wasn't there (thank God)but a waitress told us about it a few weeks after it happened. It was mean of the restaurant (on the Mississippi) - to have put these snowy white rabbits out there in this so-called "home" when they must have known it was a hunting ground for local eagles. Yuck! They didn't have a chance!

[Ladyhawk]

28. It was stupid on the owner's part. The eagle was just hungry.

An aviculturist friend of mine found a couple of young Cooper's hawks clinging to her aviary. Although it's illegal to even touch a bird of prey, she easily netted the raptors--they were starving--brought them inside and fed them until they had regained some weight. It was a hard season on young hawks, I guess, and they hadn't been able to catch a break. My friend's parrots wouldn't breed with the hungry hawks attacking the aviary, yet she couldn't bear to watch them starve to death. So she got them away from her parrots, fed them up so they'd have a second chance and released them.

This friend passed away last summer and I still can't get over the feeling that all I'd have to do is dial a number...well, everyone who has lost someone (most of us, I'd guess) knows what I mean.

[Maddy McCall]

37. OMG!

LOL! What stupidity.

[Maddy McCall]

36. Around here, you have to be careful with lapdogs.

They and the owls will snatch them, too.

[Parche]

3. hawk

Lets just hope its not a chickenhawk!!

[Mugweed]

4. I have a whole flock of chickenhawks in D.C.

I wish they would fly away.

[Kurovski]

14. They don't fly, they waddle.

And the Eagle's sore.

[Ladyhawk]

18. They waddle because they are too full of shit to fly. n/t

[Kurovski]

20. LOL!

I'm suprised I didn't think of that one myself.

Funny 'cuz...IT'S TRUE!

[Ladyhawk]

6. Can I come live in your yard? n/t

[bigwillq]

7. Got any pics of the hawk?

:shrug:

[Ladyhawk]

16. Yes, let's have some pics!

Another DUer turned me on to this site: http://www.palemale.com

It features a beautiful light morph redtail hawk and his mate, nesting in the city. GREAT PICS!

[bigwillq]

19. What a beautiful creature!

Great link!:hi:

[Ladyhawk]

34. Isn't he awesome? n/t

[bigwillq]

35. YES! There was a hawk in my yard

last week. A big brown one. Major wing span. Haven't seen it again. I hope it comes back.

[Kurovski]

12. I used to see Perigrine Falcons

in the South Suburbs.

Once one nose-dived into a shrub and took off with something to eat. bird, squirrel?

I'm not around there as much, but I assume the Falcons are.

[Ladyhawk]

17. Peregrines are neat. I've only ever seen them in bird shows.

Around here, we have a lot of American kestrels--tiny hawks that prey on other birds, mice, insects, etc. The male is prettier than the female, IMHO.



This is a male kestrel...one of the loveliest birds of prey. :)

[AlienGirl]

21. I had a kestrel as a roommate when I was a kid

She was a sweetheart, and so good at freaking out my ornithophobic grandmother!

Tucker

[Ladyhawk]

23. I really like those little birds of prey. :D n/t

[Southsideirish]

25. I bet those little ones won't be nearly as happy as you, but then -that's

life,right? Who cares? Have fun watching!