Yesterday afternoon, we spotted an immature COOPER'S HAWK on the
ground in our backyard. The hawk seemed to be working on something it
had caught, trying to remove feathers/fur, attempting unsuccessfully to
carry it off, etc. We were trying to determine if it had a dove or a
squirrel. With binoculars and camera in hand, we saw that the hawk had
captured a stuffed dog toy!
After several minutes, it gave up, flew up into a tree, then landed
on the deck railing near our bird feeding station. Of course no birds
came to the feeder with a hawk in plain sight. That's one young bird
with a lot to learn!<g>
Barbara Farron
Fairfax, VA (a few miles east of GMU)
