Hello VAbirders,
As birds came to the feeders this snowy, icy day, raptors took
notice. Even tho in this cold most birds were puffed up to keep warm, an
immature male Cooper's hawk sat in one of our trees looking very sleek,
with his feathers held tightly to his body. I wondered if he was trying to
shrink into the woodwork so to speak, so that the other birds might not see
him. He watched as numerous birds visited our feeders.
I saw Mrs. P and Klutsy (our Pileated pair) on the White Oak tree, about
30' away from where the Coop was sitting in the Maple tree that is adjacent
to the Tupelo tree. Klutzy flew to land on the Tupelo, as he usually does
when approaching the feeder. Suddenly he veered sharply away from the
Tupelo and, KUKking loudly, flew right at me watching from the window, and
then up over my head and the house. He must have seen the Coop at the last
instant and didn't want the hassle of yet another accipiter confrontation.
Moments later my daughter called out that the Red-tailed hawk was sitting
in a tree in the woods. I saw that it was eating something, and that
something turned out to be a Starling. What a surprise! The Red-tailed
really chowed down and without delay, the Starling was gone. An
inquisitive and seemingly not-to-bright squirrel seemed fascinated with the
Red-tailed and approached it. Closer and closer the squirrel moved
forward, until it was only 2' away from the hawk. The Red-tailed stared at
the squirrel and I waited for it to lunge, by the hawk never
budged. Perhaps the Starling was still settling in its stomach and it had
no desire to move. Perhaps the clever squirrel knew this?
A movement down fairly low and my daughter pointed out another bird and
asked what it was. It was a second Cooper's hawk, this one adult or close
to adult plumaged. Chasing a Modo, it zipped into the bamboo stand near
the creek and then after a moment, popped high into a tree, about 75' up,
with no Modo in tow. It sat for 10 minutes or so and then headed off.
Hmmmmmmmm........One Red-tailed Hawk eating a Starling, 2 Cooper's Hawks
catchless. I pondered whether one of the Coops might have caught the
Starling and that the Red-tailed had "relieved" it of its booty. Perhaps?
A phone call distracts and upon return I find all the hawks are gone and
that the smaller birds are making good use of the feeders once
more. Klutzy flies in and, landing on the Tupelo, stabs at the snow piled
several inches high on a branch. Puzzled, I watch. He has a mouthful of
snow, and he swallows. Twice more he stabs another mouthful, swallows, and
finally, seems satisfied. I beam with delight. Oh the wonder of that
incredible bird, and all birds! They are always teaching me something
new. If I but take the time to notice.
Lori Markoff
Vienna
Fairfax County
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