FreeLists / tn-bird / [TN-Bird] Re: Sharp shinned hawks

["Robbie Hassler" <drhass@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

For some not so strange, I have had one if not two EVIL sharp shinned hawks
at my feeders all winter. Daily it comes over and over and sits eyeing the
birds that didn't have time to escape--that are frozen in fear in the bush
beside the feeder. I don't dare go out to scare it away because that only
makes the birds fly out of the bush and here comes the hawk and picks one up
within four feet of me.  Today I heard a big bang and he or she had scared a
dove into the window. The dove was stunned and fell to the ground.  When I
ran out to see, the dove flew as far as it could and went down in the brush.
The hawk surprised me when it rose from the ground beside me and took off
after the dove.  It flew to where the dove went down and perched on a low
limb and watched the dove for at least 20 minutes.  I've wondered just what
triggers an attack on a wounded bird and why it does not attack as long as
the bird lies perfectly still.

I have had sharp shins for years and for years they have harassed the feeder
birds.  And believe me they do not--do not, just pick off the weak.  They
will stay as long as there is a bird, weak, plentiful, strong as an eagle or
scarce as a Dodo.

And once again I go through the angry anguish of "to feed or not to feed."

Robbie Hassler



----- Original Message -----
From: Thais Carr <thaiscarr@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Sunday, February 10, 2008 12:09 AM
Subject: [TN-Bird] Sharp shinned hawks


> For some strange reason, I've seen 2  sharp shinned hawks in 2 days.  The
> first was in a tree on Crescent Centre Drive in Cool Springs (near the
> Regions Bank on Carothers across from where nissan is going in)
>
> The second was this morning as I returned from walking my dog.  There was
> all this rustling & moving of branches of a spruce tree.  I stopped to
> observe & saw a bird fly out like a shot (couldn't see enough to tell
> anything) & a split second later it was followed by a sharp shinned hawk.
> The hawk apparently didn't get its desired lunch & landed in another tree
&
> rested momentarily before leaving.  I was surprised the hawk was in the
> tree-the limbs were quite close together & I can't imagine there was much
> room to maneuver in there.
>
> Thais Carr
> Thompsons Station
>
>
> =================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER=====================
>
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> You are also required to list the COUNTY in which the birds
> you report were seen.  The actual DATE OF OBSERVATION should
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>   TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society
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>         by the members of this discussion group.
>
>          Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN
>                  wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>                 ------------------------------
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>                          Cleveland, OH
>                 -------------------------------
>                Assistant Moderator Dave Worley
>                           Rosedale, VA
> __________________________________________________________
>
>           Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society
>               web site at http://www.tnbirds.org
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> Aerial photos to complement google maps http://local.live.com
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>

=================NOTES TO SUBSCRIBER=====================

The TN-Bird Net requires you to SIGN YOUR MESSAGE with
first and last name, CITY (TOWN) and state abbreviation.
You are also required to list the COUNTY in which the birds
you report were seen.  The actual DATE OF OBSERVATION should
appear in the first paragraph.
_____________________________________________________________
      To post to this mailing list, simply send email to:
                    tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
_____________________________________________________________ 
                To unsubscribe, send email to:
                 tn-bird-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
            with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field.
______________________________________________________________
  TN-Bird Net is owned by the Tennessee Ornithological Society 
       Neither the society(TOS) nor its moderator(s)
        endorse the views or opinions expressed
        by the members of this discussion group.
 
         Moderator: Wallace Coffey, Bristol, TN
                 wallace@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
                ------------------------------
                Assistant Moderator Andy Jones
                         Cleveland, OH
                -------------------------------
               Assistant Moderator Dave Worley
                          Rosedale, VA
__________________________________________________________
         
          Visit the Tennessee Ornithological Society
              web site at http://www.tnbirds.org
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

                          ARCHIVES
 TN-Bird Net Archives at http://www.freelists.org/archives/tn-bird/

                  EXCELLENT MAP RESOURCES
Topographical Maps located at http://topozone.com/find.asp
Tenn.Counties Map at http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/states/tennessee3.gif
Aerial photos to complement google maps http://local.live.com

_____________________________________________________________