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.  

The Sharpie is hungry

The weather has turned quite chilly again with temperatures in the 40s today and a cold, brisk wind that makes it feel a lot colder. The bird feeders are crowded, mostly with American Goldfinches. I counted two dozen at the feeders in the backyard this morning.

The House Finches that have been absent for a while have returned as well and my little Rufous Hummingbird visitor is still with me and making frequent visits to the sugar water feeder. All of the usual customers are well-represented at the feeders today, but they are all nervous and they rush for the shrubbery with every sudden sound or movement. That's because there is another bird hanging around the feeders. It is a Sharp-shinned Hawk and it is hungry.

I often see a Cooper's Hawk in my yard throughout the year, but I only ever see a Sharpie in the winter. I first noticed this one last weekend when it swooped in on a flock of feeding birds and tried to nab one. I've seen him a few times since then and he's always moving very fast and chasing a songbird. I haven't seen him actually catch one, although I have found feathers in my backyard indicating that some predator has been successful.

It's hard to tell a Sharpie from a Cooper's in the wild and on the wing, but this bird is considerably smaller than the Cooper's that I usually see. His tail is squared off rather than rounded and, for me, that is one of the most reliable field marks. Because of his size, I think he probably is a male since male hawks are smaller than females. If  it were a female, she would be more of a size with the Cooper's and probably harder to distinguish.

It's always distressing to see one of these small bird-hawks actually catch one of my yard birds, but I have to remind myself that Cooper's and Sharp-shinned Hawks are yard-birds, too. They live in my yard and they have to eat, and they play an important role in keeping the bird population strong and healthy. I mustn't begrudge them a meal now and then. And besides all that, that are beautiful, magnificent creatures and they always create excitement in the yard. The Backyard Birder's life is never dull when they are around.