Throughout the day today a male Sharp-shinned Hawk made several failed
attempts to catch a meal at the bird feeder. He had been successful
yesterday when he caught a male Brown-headed Cowbird. At one point while I
was doing yard work it ignored me and made a dive at the feeder, scattering
cardinals and goldfinches in all directions. It then sat on the ground near
the feeder for about a minute. I then flew and perched on top of the
platform feeder, and looked at me but did not seem concerned. I just stood
very still. After awhile it flew to another part of the yard then finally
flew off into the woods.
About an hour later it made another pass at the feeder. That's when it
grabbed the Red-bellied Woodpecker and quickly dropped into the grass with
it. Using the computer I was able to quickly move the outdoor security
camera zoom in on its location. I recorded the hawk in the grass. Here is a
link to the 30 minute video I recorded before the hawk flew away, taking its
prey with it.
It looks better if you watch it in HD.
https://youtu.be/GZiC7H0Zuqk ;
Roger Mayhorn
Compton Mountain
