FreeLists / bristol-birds / [Bristol-Birds] thru the looking glass

["Rick Phillips" <sunfish0501@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

I stopped by the American Way entrance to the greenbelt trail in Kingsport, 
Sullivan Co., Tn this morning to see what I could find.  For the past few years 
some unknown person has been scattering birdseed around the edges of the 
parking area here.  The birds feeding here are rather accustomed to people 
walking by and so are not easily spooked.  Makes for a nice place to photograph 
some birds.  In addition, someone (maybe the same person) has left a small pile 
of dry catfood in another spot of the parking area each day...and on occasion 
as a treat a small can of meaty, moist catfood.  Have seen a red tabby feeding 
here every now and then.  More often I've seen starlings and crows eating the 
catfood.

The stage is now set for the looking glass part.  Today, as I was watching 
starlings wolf down the catfood, one of the resident pair of adult 
Red-shouldered Hawks flew down and started helping himself to a little snack ( 
of catfood...not starling).  As I was still in shock trying to figure this one 
out...down flies several crows flew in and landed in a tree overhead.  They did 
not seem alarmed, and did not harass the hawk.  In fact...one of the crows then 
flew down and sat side by side with the Red-shouldered and joined him for 
breakfast.  At that point I was finished trying to figure this one out and just 
sat and watched.  I remembered I had my video camera with me and got it out 
just in time to get a few seconds of the Red-shouldered eating catfood.  I 
missed the crow!  

In the immortal words of Andy Griffith...things were just getting "curiouser 
and curiouser:!

Here is a link to a 1.4 Mb wmv video clip of the hawk.  Just right-click on the 
file and download and save it...then play with Windows Media Player.

http://webpages.charter.net/mtnsunfish/video/      ...file is rshawkshort001.wmv

Rick Phillips
Kingsport, Tennessee