Hawks in the Garden

Coopers Hawk hanging out on my arbor.

Theres a Mugo Pine below that is crammed with little birds hiding from him.

He's beautiful isn't he?

He then came down to go check out what was under the Mugo.

As soon as he would poke his head in little birds would fly out the other side. Same thing happened on the opposite side. ( Don't worry he didn't get any)

This message was edited Jan 1, 2007 5:31 PM

Those are incredible pix pelletory; the Cooper's Hawks are so beautiful!

Dea

Eventually he went back to the arbor and then just before he left my groundhog Gary came out from underneath that same mugo. I can't imagine all of them crammed in there together. I guess he finally realised that this was not the type of hawk he needed to worry about. It was so much fun to watch.

Wow, he is regal looking!

Thanks Dea, it was a nice experience except for worrying about Gary who I didn't even know was under there with about 15 small birds.

Ummmm what a Mugo, please. Don't know the word.

beautiful Hawk. For the first tiem this past summer we have had several flying around our county. Used to be you ould hardly ever se e one. Sometimes when I driving I will pull off the side of the road just to watch them fly. They seem to glide so effortlessly.

starlight1153, it is Mugho Pine ..... They are generally low to the ground pines.

Thanks Linth! Yes they spread pretty wide and make nice cover for birds. I like them, now if the Wisteria would just stop trying to strangle them.

Pelletory,

Great pics of the Hawk!

Marilyn

Thank you. I will google that Pine for more information. Thought maybe that was aterm for what he was standing on.

Resin, not that it is important but both are acceptable spellings. Dave's Garden plant files use both names. In garden centers in my area, I've never seen them use Mugo pine. So, I assume that it is the locale that dictates spelling. I just thought starlight1153 may have been more familiar with Mugho since she lives relatively close to me.

This message was edited Jan 1, 2007 9:18 PM

Beautifull pictures!

Here's a hawk that was pestering my birds.
Can you tell if this is a Coopers Hawk?

Backside...

Sure looks like a Coopers to me! Nice pics!!

Thanks, he was making my birds very nervous!

Wow, I can see why. thats a nice aviary!

Is it filled with all budgies and cockatiels?

Yes, and alot of finches...

Lovely! My parents used to have finches and I loved that bebe beeping sound they made.

Heres one from a different day,
he was hopping across the top...

Oh that must have REALLY freaked them out. I don't see a bird in sight,lol.

I'd say the bird on the fence is Cooper's, while the pic "Heres one from a different day, he was hopping across the top..." is a Sharp-shinned; note the much coarser blotching on its flanks, compared to the finer streaks on the fence bird. It also looks daintier, less heavy, and has a much smaller bill.

Hi Linthicum,

I, too, was questioning whether all accipiters in this thread were Cooper's.

Oh I'm just loving these hawk pictures! I really don't know a raptor from my elbow lol!

Wow Dave - that photo of the hawk perching on the top of your outdoor cage makes me think, "SO CLOSE... and yet so far". (or neener neener neener :-) )

The only hawk photos I've been able to get so far have been by "cheating" (ie. taking them at our local nature center) This is a hawk that was injured and has become a public ambassador for the center.

Here he is from the other side.

Such a great clear shot Susan! Thats one handsome guy!

Thats a beautiful hawk, and I like her t-shirt too!

Heres a couple more pictures from the "different day" hawk.
I think it was a little smaller than the first one on the fence.

Wow, really awesome phots from all. They really are such awe-commanding birds. Thanks for sharing!

Oops, heres the other one..

Resin, thanks for the ID's.
I honestly had'nt noticed that they were different birds.

bumping for an ID

Ok, gg bumped this up for me but I have looked at these pics over and over and can't tell the difference! :( So...

The first 5 pics by pelletory are of a Cooper's.
The first 2 (3?) pics of Dave's are a Cooper's.
Dave's 4 & 5 are a Sharp-shinned.

The details are much to small for me to see.

I am disheartened this season as we have practically no birds to be seen. My feeders stay stocked. I have cleaned and re-stocked........first thought neighbors several cats were keeping them away.......could be hawks have devoured or scared them all away. What to do? any suggestions?

I doubt hawks have devoured them all. Do you have water out for them? What types of seed mixes are you using?

Thanks for your reply, peletory. Probably not devoured them all - but made them skittish to not come around, perhaps. Anyway, I am feeding as I always have and successfully - Sunflower hearts, a little millet, safflower, niger - I am gone during the day but no birds early morning or in the evening... none - see none flying around in the trees as I always have.... my neighbor is experiencing the same. I wonder for how long this may go on... could be fox, cats, hawk. This weekend I will do some walking around & do some serious watching. Have you ever experienced this? I never have.