Not too long ago we had a whole kurfluffle on the Minnesota birding listservs when a long-eared owl was reported. The emails inevitably spiraled into the "someone got too close to the owl and flushed it causing it severe stress and ruining it for the rest of the birders." However, this story about long-eared owls found roosting in Chicago makes you wonder just how sensitive these birds are. Be sure to check out the photo gallery.
Struggle For Life In Uptown
We interrupt the regularly scheduled report on last weekend's hawk banding to inform you of an urban Cooper's hawk observation that happened today. WARNING! This post is not for the squeamish. In Nature, the fight for survival can be brutal and this post is going to describe an incident between a hawk and a pigeon. If you would rather think of all the animals and birds getting along like a Leo the Lion cartoon, you may want to skip reading the rest of this post.
I needed to take care of some grocery shopping this afternoon before we were hit with a line of thunder storms. When we came back from Duluth last night, you could feel the humidity, I had a tough time sleeping last and the air felt heavier throughout the day today. I left to go shopping and I as I walked past the side of my building, I noticed an odd lump next the bushes that border the apartment building's property. It suddenly dawned on me that the shape was a Cooper's hawk mantling over prey. There was white flash and I realized it had a pigeon and it wasn't quite dead. So, I dashed upstairs to my apartment for my digiscoping equipment.
I came back down and the hawk had changed position and was facing me with the pigeon. This was a Cooper's hawk hatched this year based on the brown and white plumage. It's also a female based on her size compared to the pigeon--she's a big ole girl. The hawk seemed antsy, and had a tough time balancing on top of the pigeon. When I took the second photo, I found out why:
The pigeon was still alive and struggling to free itself from the inexperienced hunter. I have always thought that Cooper's hawk was one of the worst ways to go--especially a young one that doesn't quite know how to use all of its equipment yet. Cooper's hawks squeeze repeatedly, and since their toes and talons are thinner than a red-tailed hawk, it's kind of like a death by sewing machine needles. When a Coops starts to feed, prey isn't always dead. Experienced birds can kill quicker, it makes it easier to feed and they don't waste as much energy. I started to debate with myself as to how long I can watch this, let alone take photos.
And then the pigeon rolled and was free (I took a photo but all that was left was a few feathers floating), it took off like a shot right over my head, the Cooper's followed in hot pursuit at eye level with me to the right side of my face. I felt a slight breeze in its wake. The pigeon crossed the busy street right over the cars, the Cooper's gained quickly. The pigeon raced over a parking lot towards some trees, the hawk caught up and nailed it in mid air, there was a puff of feathers and both fell to the ground.
I crossed the street at searched the parking lot. The young Cooper's hawk had made it to a small yard at the other end of the lot. If you look between the dark gray car and the yellow garage, you can see a small lump on the ground. That's the hawk. Don't worry, I got her in the scope:
The pigeon was still putting up a fight, although not much. You could still see it breathing the scope. The young and hungry hawk could no longer wait and had to feed.
You will note in some of the photos that her mouth is open. She was panting hard. I could feel sweat dripping down my back under my rain jacket from the humid conditions, I can't imagine what it feels like when you can't sweat, have to fly hard and try and kill something half your size to survive. I didn't approach any closer to the hawk, she was having a tough enough go at trying to eat for the day and I could get good enough photos from this distance.
As she was feeding, the pigeon finally stopped struggling and breathing. A few times the hawk would mantle--spread out her wings and tail to look big and intimidating and hide the prey. I wondered what would cause that.
I soon had my answer. A gray squirrel was investigating the situation, squealing out its protest of the hawk near its tree. I could hear cardinals chipping a warning to each other and robins giving their high pitched warning whistles as well. No one was happy about the Cooper's hawk.
The hawk continued to feed and then mantled one more time. This time and older gentleman and small dog were approaching, both appeared oblivious to the feeding hawk.
The man and dog were too much and the Cooper's flew away with its kill. I'm always amazed at what I spy in our neighborhood. I always wonder if my other neighbors ever notice this. Did the people driving down the street notice the pigeon with the hawk in pursuit mere feet in front of their windshield? I did feel bad for the pigeon (I feed them off my window ledge), but also realized that they hawk had been having a hard time of it herself just trying to survive. Will she able to continue to navigate the busy Uptown area already populated with quite a few adult Cooper's hawks? Will she last the fall and winter?
I will say, she looked so big compared to all the tiny sharp-shinned hawks we banded this past weekend. Speaking of which, we will now return to our regularly scheduled hawk banding updates.
What Goes Around My Home During the Day
I am so amazed at my body's ability to sleep with whatever virus has taken hold. I can take a couple of DayQuils and a giant mug of coffee and still fall fast asleep on the couch! How is this happening?
And maybe this is the DayQuil speaking but Chris Eccleston is hot, hot, HOT! Non Birding Bill has introduced me to the Dr. Who series (the old series), so being sick at home I thought I would turn on the tv and I discovered a Dr. Who marathon (the new series) on the Sci Fi channel today. Oh, gone are the days of the lanky man with bushy hair and a long scarf--hallo sexy, dark, broody, well dressed (and did I mention sexy?) Chris Eccleston. Unfortunately, Mr. Eccleston didn't continue the series and ended up regenerating himself at the end of season one (something time lords do to evade death) and the Dr. is now played by David Tennant--a little cheekier, not as broody, but he'll have to do.
Meanwhile when not watching daleks run amok, I watched the warblers that still have the trees in my neighborhood under siege. I assumed my chair at the window and watched the parade of kinglets, palm warblers, butter butts, Nashvilles and Tennessees. Some of them even flew over towards my window and hopped about in my flower boxes. However, I am so slow on the uptake that I couldn't get a photo. Then, an odd looking squirrel caught my attention. My apartment faces the ally and it is common to see squirrels raiding the dumpsters. Then it occurred to me that this squirrel was moving strangely and the tail wasn't bushy, then horrid realization set in:
A rat! In broad daylight, a rat checking out all the dumpsters! I know rats are everywhere and they are not new to me. I've seen them in New York, I dealt with them when I managed a bird store and goodness knows I have hacked up my fair share as hawk chow at The Raptor Center, but it still threw me for a loop seeing it right down below.
"Rats! I don't approve of rats! Keep them away from my food."Yeah, Cinnamon, I don't care for them myself. It was interesting watching the rat systematically test out the building across the way for openings to get inside. It really didn't seem to be too distressed at being out and about in broad daylight. For some reason I always thought of them as being nocturnal.
The rat then made its way around the corner to a stick pile in my noisy neighbor's yard. I went to the bathroom window to watch and it came face to face with a squirrel. Look at the rat in relation to the gray squirrel in the above photo--I mean really, apart from the bushy tail, it's about the same size! The squirrel kept a healthy distance from the rat. It didn't leave but worked to keep the brush pile between it and the rat. The rat on the other hand just seemed to try and get as close to the squirrel as it could perhaps out of curiosity or maybe just trying to show that it wasn't going to be intimidated. The rat eventually moved on to another area of the noisy neighbor's yard. I was surprised that it didn't make a beeline for the area under my bird feeders, but there's probably tastier pickins in the dumpsters.
I think we need something cleansing after a rat. Happily, a warbler delivered. I could hear some warblers outside my bathroom window, so I quietly pished and low and behold:
This is not digiscoped, as if on cue this yellow-rumped warbler just popped down to check out the pishing coming from the bathroom window. So cute!