[TN-Bird] Cooper's Hawk showed me her nest :-)
- From: "Wallace Coffey" <jwcoffey@xxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "TN-birds" <tn-bird@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 5 Jun 2008 22:52:57 -0400
The Cooper's Hawk let her guard down at 8:15 p.m. this evening
and showed me her nest -- neck-breaking high in a towering
White Pine above my driveway.
This ritual of hide-and-go-seek has continued for five weeks and
she was far more successful than I.
Perhaps she had grown to trust me and decided to share this
intimate part of her spring season. I had not seen one of the
hawks in two weeks but I hear one at all hours of every day.
One of the pair (I strongly believe it is she) frequently gives a soft
call that you would initially find difficult to be a bird and is usually
well back in the thick canopy up the hardwood hillside above
my terrace. Chris O'Bryan walked up the north ridge face and
tried to see a nest a couple of weeks ago. Nothing could be
found.
Chalk this find up to Mike Poe ! He returned my cell call at 7:05
p.m. and we had bird book business to conduct on the phone for
more than an hour. He was amused that I frequently gave him
a play-by-play of her appearances and movements.
First she flashed across the driveway well above the pavement
and up the ridge into the woods. She made several flights
between trees, always well back in the crowns. I could only
see the flash of a large bird appearing in small openings.
Mike and I talked about how difficult this possible nest had been
to discover. But she eventually appeared well out in the open
on a bare limb about 150 feet or so away. I had no binoculars.
We talked on and she preened, stretched her long tarsus over
the front of the limb and then dangled it in the back. She searched
the woods and spread her tail. A titmouse and a chickadee showed
up but stayed well away. They were noisy and she not interested.
Shortly after 8 p.m. Mike and concluded our chat. I decided to
stand her down. It was getting late in the afternoon. I managed
to get to my binoculars and lean on my compact car. I acted like
it was no big deal and did not try to move slowly or not make
noise. She became more complacent. Less concerned. At
ease with her surroundings and, I suppose, my presence.
She was obviously ready to take flight and a few minutes later
flew across to my row of tall white pines along the driveway.
She then pitched up vertically and climbed easily to the highest
part of the crown. I walked around for several minutes trying
to get a look.
Finally, I could barely make out the darkness of a nest almost
to the point of imagination. THERE IT WAS! You would think
I was seeing things. You would not be impressed. It would
probably do nothing to satisfy your been there and done that
drive.
Chris and I had searched with binoculars from nearby roads
and driveways but never were able to pick up a nest structure
despite looking from more than a block away.
Here are encouraging words from Rick Phillips of Kingsport
who shared his thoughts in mid-May:
This is just the kind of behavior exhibited by the Cooper's that
were nesting over here at Oak Hill a couple of years ago. They
would approach the nest tree and fly straight up to the nest, and
then depart the same way. They were not vocal at all and I only
remember hearing them call a couple of times. I never heard the
young at the two nests at Oak Hill call for food. The young birds
remained in the cemetery and usually within a hundred yards of
the nest the rest of the summer. I would often see them near each
other and when one moved a short distance the others usually
followed. Don't remember the exact dates but you could search
the archives for 2006 and get an idea of the time frames for nest
building, eggs, and young.
Rick
His descriptions kept me focused and kept me hopeful. Thanks Rick!
Now I have much of my summer birding ahead of me with mom and
the kids. How rewarding. I've seen Cooper's Hawks nests before.
I've captured adults from the wild. We have had climbers get the
young and they have been banded and photographed.
Now I have a "yard nest" on my list and much excitement ahead.
Let's go birding.....
Wallace Coffey
Sullivan County
Bristol, TN
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