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| Cooper's Hawk (I think) |
Well, yesterday, I glanced outside in time to see this huge bird sitting on a branch! I grabbed the camera but this is the only shot I could capture before it flew away. When I looked for it in my Birds of Minnesota handbook I found two hawks...Cooper's Hawk, which I think this is, and Sharp-Shinned Hawk. Looking closely at both photos, I'm pretty sure it's a Cooper's Hawk. If any of you are familiar with hawks and I'm wrong, please let me know.
BUT, the really bad news was learning that their food source is listed as "small birds, mammals". Here's what the Notes say:
"Will come to feeders hunting for unaware birds.....Known to "ambush" their prey, they will fly into heavy brush or even run on the ground in pursuit."Ack!!!
(Photo-Finish Friday is the creation of Leah from The Goat's Lunch Pail. Thanks, Leah!)
I don't know why...but I just had a sudden urge to start running;))
ReplyDeleteNice photo captures!
They've gotta eat. Still, it's distressing to witness. Beautiful capture, Cheryl.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Dawn. And your comment made me chuckle!
ReplyDeleteThanks, and you're so right, Hilary. They do need to eat, too. As long as I don't have to witness the "capture", that is!
Ah, shoot, I just lost my comment.
ReplyDeleteWell, we have hawks, too, but I don't know if they're the same as your Cooper's Hawk - I have, however, seen one dive down into the grass and right back up again WITH A SNAKE IN HIS CLAWS!
Magnificent photo!
Excellent photo.
ReplyDeleteyikes!
ReplyDeleteAloha to you
from Waikiki!
Comfort Spiral
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I'm not sure what kind of hawks we have around our house. We hear them hunting all the time.
ReplyDeleteI love hawks and am fascinated by them. I don't want to see them make their kill, though. You got a beautiful photo of yours.
ReplyDeleteThis is an exceptional photo as you have capture those intense eyes! I also think it is a coopers..but I am not an expert. I love hawks and the birds usually don't get eaten.
ReplyDeleteThanks, ethelmae! Now, I don't think I'd freak if I saw one with a snake. But maybe I would.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Leah.
I KNOW, Cloudia...yikes is right! (I do love your little fishies).
Ramona, I knew we had hawks around here but hadn't ever seen one so close to the house!
I have to say, Linda, that they are beautiful birds.
Well, thank you, Tabor! They do have intense eyes. I read that they are yellow when the hawks are young and then turn red as they reach maturity.
A hawk! Wow... Hope it doesn't chase all the other wildlife away.
ReplyDeleteHawks do that - kill other birds.
ReplyDeleteI live in a rural area, and there's a farm field behind our house where the hawks & vultures can regularly be seen flying.
Mourning doves seem to be the weakest link in the bird food chain in our yard. I once interrupted a hawk that was dining in my driveway when I went outside to get something out of the trunk of my car. I saw something move out of the corner of my eye, and when I turned, the hawk was just standing there on the ground with this dead bird at it's feet looking at me like "hey!" It then grabbed the bird and flew off for a private feast.
Oh, birds...
Wow, what a sight to see such a huge bird... thankfully you didn't witness this hawk having it's lunch! Hopefully it'll take up residence elsewhere where you don't have to see it dining.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your weekend Cheryl!
Hi Cheryl, You were lucky to get this photo of the hawk. For larger birds, they are so quick, aren't they? There is a hawk around here that lands in one of the trees in the back. Sometimes we watch the hawk eat lunch up there. So far we haven't gotten a good picture though.
ReplyDeleteHi Sarah! My sister-in-law told me that the little birds will hide if they think a hawk is nearby. Doves must be a lot slower or more trusting - ha!
ReplyDeleteDarlin, the next day the "regulars" were back and there was no sign of the hawk. "whew!"
I really was lucky to get that shot, TechnoBabe. Had the camera been within reach I might have been able to get more than one photo.
No doubt he's looking for a snack, but he is a beautiful bird. Nice capture!
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