Coopers Hawk Working Barn Area Hard

[centrarchid]

I went back out after posting above. Hawk was still perched on pen in barn 10 minutes later. I took phone camera and recorded approach. Hawk did not flush until I got with 50 feet of barn. Camera is crappy as can barely see a think but chicken sounds interesting. I took some interesting pictures afterwards to be posted later. Hawk is flat out using barn as launch point for going after songbirds. Adult chickens are ignoring it unless it gets close to ground.

 

[centrarchid]

View I have of house from roughly were hawk perches.

View hawk has of house when on it favorite perch in the barn. It probably does not watch house closely.

Hawk perches on either side of fourth vertical support of barn on left. American Dominique cock was just walking around where he is in photograph while hawk was above him. Hens and hen with chicks moved to heavy cover shown in second to last photograph.

Chicks and juvenile game hawk previously targeted. When hawk comes in they retreat to bucket near middle of elevated pen.

Heavy brush location songbirds and chickens use as cover. They can sun bath and see out from it well. Forage is depleted by chickens and rabbits. In this stuff chickens have serious advantage over hawk when it comes to mobility and ability to fight, especially if the chickens can gang up on you which they will as hawk.

View I have of barn where hawk hunts from as seen from house.

 

[centrarchid]

I am coming away with conclusion for today that most of what the Coopers Hawk has been targeting is smaller than what is optimal. I have seen her go after Cardinals, Northern Mockingbirds, Blue Jays, European Starlings, Morning Doves and various types of woodpecker but most effort has been expended on English House Sparrows and what I think are mostly Crown Sparrows. Failure rate when making attempts is high, A male I think would do better going after same prey. A Sharp-shinned Hawk would kick butt. Once I see a Sharp-shinned settle in the female Coopers will like have move on.

 

[Folly's place]

Many juvenile hawks fail to survive their first year/ season hunting alone, as they learn good hunting skills, or not. Do you think that's an issue here? Mary

 

[centrarchid]

I am unable to discern health of this bird or predict if it survive. What I will say is prey density is very high. She also has a loop with other locations that likely produce for her.

 

[Folly's place]

Some birds develop preferences for certain prey species, for whatever reasons. A friend had a Red Shouldered hawk concentrate on Blue Jays only, at her bird feeders. Who knows why? Mary

 

[centrarchid]

How certain was she it was a Red-shouldered Hawk? Here they do not target such evasive prey.

 

[Folly's place]

I might have forgotten details, maybe Red shouldered hawk? She is a bird person, certainly knows it wasn't a Coopers. I heard the story because it was so interesting. Mary

 

[centrarchid]

Coopers have a reputation for working bird feeders. Red-shouldered Hawks do not and they tend to target more terrestrial prey.

 

[Trish1974]

Coopers have a reputation for working bird feeders. Red-shouldered Hawks do not and they tend to target more terrestrial prey.

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