Saved from a hawk attack!

[WalkingHorse]

I've finally calmed down and have stopped shaking! I was walking down a hall in my home and heard the chickies chattering whilst hanging out in one of their favorite spots...one of our asparagus patches that is right under my husband's office window. I went in to his office and started talking to them through the screen. About a minute later a MASSIVE Red Tailed Hawk swoops down and grabs my Buff Orpington Miss Big Bird by the rump. They are no more than 3 feet away from me! The hawk is trying to figure out how to fly off with his big catch. I start screaming and banging on the window (surprised I didn't break it) until it finally let go. Chickens run to hide under the deck and I run out with a broom (!) to frighten the hawk away which then retreated to a tall pine. You can see BB's tail feathers on the ground in front of the window.

She's fine thank goodness. Normally at that time I am at the barn working horses but got delayed by a phone call. So grateful!!!

 

[theoldchick]

Wow! Lucky gal! Good thing you were nearby!

 

[ninabeast]

Phew! That was very close. I had a close call myself a couple weeks back. Takes a while for the heart to beat normally again, doesn't it? Glad Miss Big Bird is okay.

 

[WalkingHorse]

It sure does ninabeast! My adrenaline is tapped out for the day.

 

[ChirpNEggBaby]

I have one that has the gall to come almost every day and sit on the top bar of the round pen next to one of my chicken houses. We engage in a staring contest a couple times a week.

Glad your gal is ok....they just cant seem to figure out that they cannot get off the ground with the big ones!

 

[stilldeb]

The hawks are really bad this year. My girls were sounding the alarm (again) this morning and I went out but whatever it was was gone. He has been sitting right on the pen before, though. My Silkies start honking like geese when he comes around.

 

[WalkingHorse]

ChirpNEggBaby, that's exactly where I've seen hawks perching before....on the top rail of my round pen which is in sight of my coop.

You are so right stilldeb. I'm a birdwatcher along with a bazillion other things

and I have notice a much higher population of hawks here on the farm during their migration this year. Hawks are beautiful but they better keep their stinkin' talons off of my girls!!!

 

[leonphelps]

I was driving through Lancaster County PA today and saw at least a hundred hawks. never seen so many.

 

[D3invertebrates]

The hawks do seem worse this year than ever before. Ive had to chase at least one off every day for the past two weeks. Whats worse is I can hear a nest of babys in the woods a few hundred yards back from my house, so it doesnt look like next year will be any better

I try my best to scare them off but they just keep getting bolder, just yesterday one came onto my back porch to try and get my birds. I personally am at my breaking point with the things, its only luck(or some 6th sense) that Ive gone outside every time A hawk was just about to attack, which has been at least two dozen times in the past month alone, its just ridiculous. Ive even noticed the turkey vultures eyeballing my birds and even swoop down pretty close to them once. I blame it on the drought. Ive lost somewhere around 50 birds this year, but it was mostly snakes and possums and a skunk, its never been like that before.

 

[WalkingHorse]

Hey D3invertebrates! Thanks so much for your support on the other thread.

I think you're on to something with the drought. They are definitely more bold and brazen this year. So are the many other predators that lurk in the woods around me. Also, I've never seen so many deer coming all the way up to the barn to drink from the water troughs. Just hope we break this drought cycle soon.