A Suburban Hawk

[Pam]

I was puttering in the garden late Sunday when I heard a bunch of birds raising a ruckus in the little patch of trees at the back of my yard. I recognized crows and blue jays, and I heard that distinct whirring of doves taking flight. First thing I did was look around for the cats, but they had stopped wrestling and were sitting up in the middle of the yard listening, too.

Then the birds all erupted into the air, still squawking wildly, and flew along the fence line toward the front of the house. I looked, and one of the birds was a hawk, and it was clutching a small blackbird of some sort in its talons. All the other birds, and there were probably at least 20, were chasing him.

It was too small to be a red tailed hawk, which is what we usually see around here, and the leading edge of its wings was gray. After a little research, I think it must have been either an American Kestrel, or a Sharp-shinned Hawk.

 

[LUCKYDOG]

We have quite a few hawks in my area as well ... they sit up in my tree and eat small critters awesome to watch and hear in flight

 

[Pam]

We have quite a few hawks in my area as well ... they sit up in my tree and eat small critters awesome to watch and hear in flight

I've seen plenty of red-tailed hawks, and even a couple of barred owls, although I usually hear the owls rather than see them, and I love it! I really am in a suburban area, but we're not too far from farmland. Once I was running to the store early on a Sunday morning and I saw what I thought was a dog that had been hit by a car. when I got closer, though, it was a beaver, right there on the corner of an apartment block and a residential area.

Sunday was the first time for seeing a kestrel or smaller hawk, though.

 

[LUCKYDOG]

I live in the same type of area it sounds. They live in a tree at my friends house that borders a town park and wetlands area they are always soaring about and if you are in the area that a snake or rodent is in they give you a fly by before dropping in on 'em. We have the occasional deer, turkey and some other small surrying beasts but these are the most exciting to see by far.

 

[xgrafcorex]

we have plenty of vultures down here in florida. not sure what kinds of other large predatory birds though...i'm sure there are some others. we have some burrowing owls down here too haha...they are pretty funny. very small owls, they hiss when you are near them..but they are protected down here. endangered species and all.

 

[Sickmont]

we have plenty of vultures down here in florida. not sure what kinds of other large predatory birds though...i'm sure there are some others. we have some burrowing owls down here too haha...they are pretty funny. very small owls, they hiss when you are near them..but they are protected down here. endangered species and all.

We've also got some really big-ass eagles and ospreys down here too, bro.

Lots and lots of ospreys over here actually. I watched one about a month ago nail a seagull in mid-air, right over the dealership parking lot. I wish i'd have had a camera for that one.

 

[chilehunter]

birds of prey are fun to watch & listen to. the ones we have in MN, at least for summer months but most are year round dwellers
- bald eagles (breading pair has a nest about 5 min from home)
- nothern harrier
- broad winged hawk
- coopers hawk
- red tailed hawk
- sharp shinned hawk
- american kestrel
- osprey
- barred owl
- eastern screech owl
- great horned owl (I came across one while hunting it was pretty cool)
- turkey vulture (it'd be cool to see one of these)

as for other wildlife theres alot that run through the neighborhood/yard (country living) sometimes you'll even see black bears pass by or come across in the woods. every once in awhile some cranes will be in the field by the house.

I've had hawks fly right by me (& straight towards me) while bowhunting, I guess they come to check me out to see if I'm a worthy meal to be had, since I'm all camo'd out they need a closer look. whats really cool is when they fly so close to you that you hear the "swush" sound when they fly by, & when you're not expecting them its like "woo WTF thats kinda close"

I've also seen 2 bald eagles (one was not mature yet) in someones front yard eating, both eagles had their own meal in their talons , I didnt get that close of a look at the prey since I was driving.

 

[willard3]

Another suburban Hawk.....