March 24, 2011

Bird Brains Warning - graphic photo of a lousy hawk!

As you know, I love to feed and watch the birds in my backyard. We have been fortunate to be a haven for cardinals, have had a record for us of 8 males in our yard at once over this past snowy winter.

This year, we've been visited by a sharp shinned hawk. They like to frequent yards where feeders are present as their prey are plentiful. So today, we had this in the morning:



And this hawk hung around for about three hours in that spot between the time it was eating and then just hanging out and digesting.


A few hours later, the "regulars" returned and, as you can see, there were six males and one lone female cardinal in our tree.


Now, if I can only figure out a way to keep the hawk out. Thank goodness it didn't get one of the cardinals, or I would have been really mad.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

That's scarey! I wish I had an answer for you, but today, my JJ-dog was lounging on the back lawn and a turkey buzzard was circling. I brought JJ in asap. I hate big birds!!

Ellen said...

A few years ago, we had a hawk pick up a small dog in our area. So of course, we didn't take Maxie out without being on a leash so we could grab her up quickly if we had to.

Like you, hawks and vultures are not my favorites.

abb said...

What's he eating in that first photo??

I do believe it's time for you to get another dog - big enough that the hawk won't pounce - to chase that hawk AWAY!!

Noe Noe Girl...A Queen of all Trades. said...

Yikes! We had to cover our chicken coop to keep the hawks from getting our chickens.
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The Single Nester said...

Is that a hawk? All I can see is its butt :) You are blessed to have so many cardinals!

Barb Szyszkiewicz said...

Now I know where my hawk went. (insert sheepish grin here) He used to sit on top of my bird feeder.

I advise you to bide your time, placing a bird feeder in 2-foot proximity to your picture window. Hawk will not be able to resist. Eventually hawk will crash into window, leaving behind a mess of feathers.

You probably won't see him again after that. But don't send him back here.