Backyard predators

(Cross-posted from The Nature of Things.)


This is a busy time at the backyard bird feeders. When I step out into the yard, it is common to see a hundred or more songbirds at the feeders and on the ground around the feeders. It is no accident that February is designated as National Bird Feeding Month and that the Great Backyard Bird Count which surveys where birds are in mid-winter takes place on this coming weekend. This is the month when birds are most visible in our yards.

And where the little birds gather, the larger birds that prey on them soon follow. In my yard, this means the two Accipiters, Cooper's Hawks and Sharp-shinned Hawks.

The larger of the two is the Cooper's Hawk, which is a permanent resident in our area, and I do see him around the yard throughout the year, chasing the birds that come to my feeders. Seldom do I see him actually catch one. There is plenty of cover in the yard and at the first warning cry from a Blue Jay, all the birds scramble for it.

In the field, it is very hard to discern the difference between the Cooper's and the Sharp-shinned. They are very similar in appearance. The Cooper's Hawk is bigger, but there is a difference in size between the sexes among these raptors; the females are quite a bit larger and so it is that a female Sharp-shinned might be as large as a male Cooper's. The most reliable field mark, I find, is the shape of the tail - if you can see it. I think you can tell from this picture that the end of the bird's tail is rather rounded. That is a trait of the Cooper's.

The Sharp-shinned, on the other hand, has a squared-off end of the tail. This bird, half hidden among the leaves of a tree, has that squared tail which marks him as a Sharp-shinned. The Sharp-shinned is a winter visitor to our area and, at this time of year, I see this bird almost daily when I am outside. 

Both of these raptors are magnificent birds and it is a great honor to have them as a part of my backyard ecosystem. Some bird lovers who maintain bird feeders for songbirds hate the birds that prey on them and try to discourage them, but I see them as an essential part of the habitat.

They are beautiful birds and, after all, they have to eat, too. Nature made them to eat other birds and we can hardly fault them for fulfilling that function.  

Wordless Wednesday: Cooper's Hawk

More feathered visitors - big and very small

I spent part of Sunday afternoon in my backyard doing observations for my second weekend of FeederWatching. It had been several days since I had seen or heard the little female Rufous Hummingbird that had spent several weeks in my yard, so imagine my delight when I heard the chattering that announced a Rufous among the shrubbery.

When I finally was able to locate the bird and get my binoculars trained on it, though, I was in for a surprise. It was not the female but an adult male in glorious full rufous color! Of course I didn't have my camera - I never do seem to have it at these moments - so I ran inside to get it, hoping that the bird would stick around. It was feeding from my Cape honeysuckle so I figured that might keep it nearby for a while.

When I got back outside though the bird had disappeared. I sat down to watch and wait, hoping that it would return, but then suddenly my attention was distracted by another bird.

Yes, it was our resident Cooper's Hawk. He flew through the yard and perched in my neighbor's pine tree. He sat there for several minutes, long enough for me to take a series of pictures.

Once the hawk showed up, all bird activity in the yard stopped and everything became quiet and still. After several minutes the hawk flew on his way, but the Rufous Hummingbird never returned - at least while I was watching. Again today I looked for him but never saw him. He may have moved on or he may just be hiding among the leaves laughing in his feathers at my futile attempts to get his picture!

The hunter

Working in the backyard today, I heard the sound of a kerfuffle and looked up in time to see a male Northern Cardinal streaking across the yard. Now, if you have observed cardinals, you will know that they do not streak. They normally fly in a rather leisurely undulating fashion. But this guy was streaking for all he was worth. He dived into the wild hedge along the back fence and was followed closely by a brown blur. The Cooper's Hawk was hunting again.

The hawk's projected lunch escaped her clutches. She (I think it's a female.) sat and looked into the tangle of vines and branches for a moment but there was no way she could extract the cardinal. Then she flew up to the branch of my old crape myrtle tree, where she was half hidden from my view by leaves and branches.

I've tried and failed repeatedly to get a picture of this bird. Usually, I either don't have my camera when she appears or she speeds across my line of vision so fast that I don't have time to react. Today, my camera was close at hand, and even though she was partially obscured, I decided to try to get a recognizable image. I reached very slowly for the camera, not wanting to spook her. I didn't dare move from my location to try to get a clearer shot for fear my movement would send her flying. Here's what I was able to capture with the camera.

 Even partially blocked by the leaves in front of her, I think you can see what a magnificent bird this is.

She sat in the tree for several minutes, probably scouting the area for another likely menu item.

She turned and was looking back toward the spot where the cardinal had disappeared, perhaps hoping he would break cover. I'm sure his black eyes were watching her just as carefully and he was not about to move as long as she was in the area.

In another minute, you could almost see her heave a big sigh of disappointment and she flew off to an area beside the garden shed. I know there are rodents there so maybe she was able to grab one of them. Mammals are not these birds' first choice for a meal. They are built to chase and catch birds and that's what they clearly prefer to eat, but they will catch and eat other things if they are hungry enough and the birds are not cooperating.

You may not be impressed with these pictures but they are actually the very best I've been able to get so far, but, just like the bird, I am undaunted and I will keep trying for a better image.