I was watching the birds last night when WHAM!, a mourning dove bounces off the window. After I make sure the dove has flown away, I look up and see a beautiful Cooper's Hawk sitting on top of my fly-through feeder. He was a little perturbed that the Mourning Dove escaped him but not too worried. There is a lot of wildlife to choose from in our yard. I watched him straighten his feathers, look around, (silence in the yard), and then fly off. I'm sure it had nothing to do with me smashed against the window yelling, "LOOK, LOOK, LOOK!"Native American folklore says: "If a hawk appears to you, then right now a clue about the magic of life is being presented. This magic can imbue you with the power to overcome a currently stressful or difficult situation."
I like that thought. If you feed birds long enough, a Hawk will likely show up sooner or later. Sometimes the hawk perches for a while. It is on those occasions that the phone at Wild Birds Unlimited starts ringing: "How can I get rid of this thing? It's killing my birds!" Of course that is what certain kinds of hawks do.
The most common neighborhood hawks in mid-Michigan are the sharp-shinned and Cooper's hawks. They are usually woodland hunters, and with their habitat shrinking more sitings have been reported at well-stocked feeding stations. Hawks have to eat too, and whether they are hunting around your feeder or off in the woods, they are going to catch about the same amount of prey each day. Consider yourself lucky that you have a front row seat to one of nature's more dramatic dances.
However, most people do not put up feeders with the intention of attracting hawks. They want Cardinals and Chickadees and Goldfinches. Having a hawk blast through, scattering the birds and perhaps carting one off, is not the experience most bird watchers want.
Some steps to take if you have hawks in your yard:
- First and foremost, federal and state laws prohibit the capture, killing, or possession of hawks and owls. Raptors at bird feeding stations are a problem only when they perch nearby all day. The birds return as soon as the Hawk flys away. So rather than get upset, enjoy a close-up look at these magnificent birds while they are in your yard.
- Place your feeders where there is ample natural protection. Evergreen shrubs and trees can provide an easy escape for the birds. If there is none available, consider planting a few varieties.
- Lastly, acknowledge that a few birds and squirrels will be caught by Hawks at your feeders. This is part of the cycle. Raptors play an important role in controlling the populations. Also keep in mind; songbirds are difficult for hawks to catch. Few are caught by birds of prey.
- Ultimately, the only thing you can do when a hawk comes to dinner is wait it out. Most hawks that settle in at feeders do so for two or three weeks and then they are off again to different territory. The presence of hawks at your feeders should in no way cause you to discontinue feeding birds. Just take a few simple steps to protect them and enjoy a season of bird feeding.
We awoke once morning recently to find four juvenile (Cooper's or Red Shouldered) hawks in our bird bath. They seem to have settled in, and in order to give the birds time to feed themselves and their babies (there is a bluebird family feeding five babies right now in their nest box), I go out into the yard and clap my hands a few times. The hawks fly away, the birds begin feeding, and life goes on until the next time. I considered taking away the feeders to protect the birds. Thank you for this sage advice. We have plenty of woodlands close by and a cherry tree just a few feet from the feeder. So I'll go on feeding and hope for the best, for the birds and and for their young.
ReplyDeletehey i have a falcon in my tree and it is eating all the birds.now it ate bird eggs from a nest in my lemon tree
ReplyDeletei have three sharp shinned hawks that settled in my back yard. it's been a month now... and i took enough pics already. i hope they move along soon!!! i want the goldfinches and cardinals back. i even miss the bluejays. only good thing is the squirrel population in my back yard has dwindled.
ReplyDeleteI have two little dogs and the house I moved into has a beautiful hawk living I'm the yard. My wife is terrified to let the find out without standing around with a tennis racket. how large an animal will the hawks go after? Ive already seen a dead rabbit.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure where you live, but the most common neighborhood hawks in mid-Michigan are the Sharp-shinned and Cooper's Hawks. They are usually woodland hunters, and with their habitat shrinking more sitings have been reported in the suburbs.
ReplyDeleteCooper's hawks are predators primarily of birds and small mammals. Small means under a pound, so you don't have to worry about your dog unless it fits in a teacup.
When hunting, Cooper's hawks usually perch during the day and watch for prey. They wait until their prey is unaware of their presence, then quickly swoop down and seize it. Mourning Doves, starlings, chipmunks, and small squirrels are common prey for Cooper's hawks.
Their short, rounded wings make them very maneuverable flyers in dense, forests and even follow prey up evergreens. These hawks also pursue prey on the ground, half running and half flying.
I've got what I think is a cooper's hawk killing my chickens. He or she got 2 in 3 days. I locked the chickens in the barn for a week and have since let them out again. I have not seen the hawk in almost 2 weeks. How long before i can expect him to come back? How big is their territory range? The hawk attacked one of my chickens before and I accidentally saved her by coming home at the right time and it was 2 months before it tried again and succeeded. What do I do? I don't want to hurt it but I'm sure he's gonna keep picking them off because they are easy targets.
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ReplyDeleteI have 3 dogs, a maltese a morkie and a mutt that all weigh under 3 pounds. They want to shoot it but I haven't let them but its come down to desperate measures. We HAVE to get rid of it before they try to kill or torture it out PLEASE HELP ME GET IT OUT OF MY YARD!!! PLEASE!
ReplyDeleteHawks are predators primarily of birds and small mammals. Small means under a pound, so you don't have to worry about your dog unless it fits in a teacup.
ReplyDeleteWhen hunting, hawks usually perch during the day and watch for prey. They wait until their prey is unaware of their presence, then quickly swoop down and seize it. Mourning Doves, starlings, chipmunks, and small squirrels are common prey for hawks. Their short, rounded wings make them very maneuverable flyers in dense, forests and even follow prey up evergreens.
Hawks have large territories and may perch in one area for a couple weeks and then move on to another location. They do not migrate, but may move short distances during the colder months to areas where there is more prey and return to their home range as the weather warms up again.
Your hawk will probably be gone in a few days.
Killing or torturing a hawk is a federal offense & I would call your local Department of Natural Resources for more help.
Thanks
ReplyDeleteLast week a hawk grabbed a large chicken out of our yard and flew off with it - now I don't know exactly how much the chicken weighed but it was a BIG fat chicken and this was a big, big red tailed hawk. I have seen some huge red tails this year and they are always after the chickens. What will deter them?
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