[wisb] Re: Cooper's and crows playing "tag"
- From: Karen Etter Hale <chimneyswift1@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: wisbirdn@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 16 Sep 2010 07:54:58 -0500
I saw something similar last week. An adult Cooper's hawk, slightly
smaller than a crow, flew aggressively at a crow four times while I
watched. Between attacks, they'd both perch in trees "ignoring" one
another. Once the Cooper's sat above the crow in the same tree - with a
squirrel between them just 5' below the Cooper's, seemingly unconcerned.
Three other crows in the immediate area ignored these interactions.
Karen Etter Hale
Lake Mills
NW Jefferson Co.
On 9/15/10 10:36 PM, Karen Etter Hale wrote:
> Last year we had both Cooper's and crows raise families in the
> neighborhood. For at least a couple of weeks, we and the neighbors were
> highly entertained by daily "dogfights". Sometimes the Cooper's would be
> after the crows, then the crows would go after the Cooper's: back and
> forth at high speed over the house and garden. Then they'd all sit
> within a few feet of one another in the same large oak tree. They
> appeared to be thoroughly enjoying the game.
>
> Karen Etter Hale
> Lake Mills
> NW Jefferson Co.
>
> On 9/15/10 9:25 AM, B.G. Sloan wrote:
>> There's a large grassy lawn dotted with a few trees in Milwaukee's Veteran's
>> Park.
>>
>> Yesterday afternoon there were 4-5 crows hanging out on the lawn, when
>> suddenly a large immature Cooper's Hawk flew out of some trees by the
>> lagoon. It picked out a crow, swooped down on it, tapped it with its feet,
>> and made this loud guttural call. The Cooper's then flew up into a nearby
>> tree.
>>
>> Not to anthropomorphize too much, but the crow looked genuinely embarrassed
>> that it had been taken by surprise. Its feathers were all ruffled and it was
>> making low muttering sounds.
>>
>> The other crows acted as if nothing had happened, which surprised me. I
>> expected them to get all agitated and go after the Cooper's. After about a
>> minute, one of the other crows flew up into the tree where the Cooper's was.
>> It was quiet for about 30 seconds. Then the crow burst out of the leaves
>> with the Cooper's in close pursuit. Some fancy aerobatics ensued for about
>> 20 seconds. Most of the time the Cooper's was doing the chasing, but once
>> the crow manuvered so that it was behind the hawk.
>>
>> The Cooper's then flew back up into a tree. Another crow slowly flew past
>> the hawk, as if challenging it to another "game". The Cooper's took the bait
>> and there was another chase. The scenario repeated itself several times.
>>
>> One by one the crows drifted away, seeming to grow tired of the sport. The
>> Cooper's and the last crow started one final chase and wound up on the
>> ground,rolling around for a couple of seconds. Then the crow left, leaving
>> the hawk calmly sitting by itself up in a tree.
>>
>> The thing that surprised me the most about this encounter was that the
>> Cooper's and the crows seemed very calm when they weren't interacting. And
>> when one crow was playing "tag", the others acted as if nothing unusual was
>> going on.
>>
>> It was a fun encounter. :-)
>>
>> Bernie Sloan
>> Milwaukee
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>>
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