Disappearing Ducks!!

[HeatherKellyB]

I thought hawks find the nearest tree to pluck and eat right where they catch something. And would a hawk kill 2 birds at the same time?

Maybe, but I live in a heavily wooded area, so it could be possible here. Not sure about in your case. The hawk that attacked my chicken was a juvenile and I interrupted him before he was able to kill. You make a good point though, especially with smaller juvenile hawks.

 

[SilverBirds]

I thought hawks find the nearest tree to pluck and eat right where they catch something. And would a hawk kill 2 birds at the same time?

I doubt a hawk would fly away with a duck (let alone two). They would be much to heavy (unless they are really young). In my experience, hawks kill and eat on site, unless they have one of my bitty bantys and can easily bring it with them. There would also be signs of a brawl, feathers everywhere.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

What type of predators do you have in your area? Are the missing ducks Muscovy or smaller Mallard derived ducks? @Agwhite

 

[Agwhite]

What type of predators do you have in your area? Are the missing ducks Muscovy or smaller Mallard derived ducks? @Agwhite

Our neighbors have 3 cats. We had a fox attack 3 years ago and trapped it. We recently had a possum break our bird feeder overnight. Great blue herons everyday but my ducks are used to them I don’t think they are interested in ducks. I’ve seen Hawks soaring over before but never lost any to hawks in the past. The missing ducks are mallards.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Could they have flown off? Being Mallards they can fly really well.

 

[HeatherKellyB]

A good friend of mine said that juvenile hawks are taught how to hunt by their parents. My neighbor actually had two hawks, described as one larger adult and one juvenile, kill 2 of her birds at one time. So now that I remember that, I'm still thinking a hawk or owl, especially since a young Mallard would be lightweight. I hope your flock is continuing to do well today