[Bristol-Birds] Cooper's Hawks at Oak Hill Cemetery

Oak Hill Cemetery
Kingsport, Sullivan County, Tennessee
Sept 13, 2008

I had the pleasure today (for the second time in my life) of observing an
adult pair of Cooper's Hawks moving around Oak Hill Cemetery in a group with
three of their young from this summer's nesting.  First of all I was very
happy to see the group because I wasn't at all sure any Cooper's had a
successful nesting there this summer until today.  I had two pairs of
Cooper's Hawks nesting within 100 yards of each other there a couple of
years ago, but didn't find any nests the summer of 2007 or 2008.

Second, and what was really interesting to me, was the behavior I observed,
which was a repeat of what I saw in 2006.  The three juvenile birds were
flying around as a group from tree to tree in a small open area of the
cemetery.  Here they would make half-hearted stoops on gray squirrels (which
are numerous), usually as individuals, but a couple of times two birds would
go at once.  They did not appear to me to be the determined, swift, intense
attacks on the squirrels one would expect of a Cooper's Hawk trying to
secure prey, but rather just "practice" runs to hone these skills which will
be used in the future to hunt for food. But, it looked for all the world
like a bunch of kids playing.  It was just amazing to watch the agility with
which they could move around a tree trunk as they chased the squirrels
around and around as the adults sat perched nearby watching.  As if to
emphasize this was only practice, one juvenile bird made a stoop on a
groundhog sitting out in the open, the groundhog barely moving as the hawk
passed by. I was so fascinated  with all this that I totally forgot I had my
camera until most of the birds had moved off to another part of the
cemetery.  I managed to get one shot of one of the adults as it perched
briefly on a tombstone just before flying away.  Here is a link to the
photo:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ricksphotos0501/2852667097/in/pool-east_tenn_photogs.
Great fun and good to know those birds are still around.

No Merlin yet.  I checked last night and this morning.  But who knows...one
may show up any day!

Rick Phillips
Kingsport, Sullivan County, Tennessee

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