Hawk NEST in MY YARD! What to do?

[Gypsi]

Quote:
You go girl! I think that harassment is more legal than shooting. I provide wild bird habitat, and if the hawk doesn't do something about the starling and cowbird count I've got a bb gun that is about to deter them. Already have a bb-sized hole in my kitchen screen for the squirrel. He's still alive, but a bb on the rear is one heck of a bird feeder deterrent. That hawk does not need any more of my hens, I've got wildlife for food for her babies.

 

[dieselgrl48]

.I Live in Virginia and hawk's are not that scarce here.My neighbor works for forestry comm. and he kill's every fox/ coyote etc. that come's near or damages any of his livestock of cattle goats chickens.I think the only thing that I know of in Va on NO Kill List are panther's and there are some here.Black as well as some rarely spotted white.We have several agencies that will pick up and rehome wildlife here but not much local so farmer's etc. are pretty much on their own and I have not heard of any major fine or anything here.Hunter's are monitored and Virginia is known for it's bounty of wildlife and deer.I keep 2 guns ready at all time's one for small critter's and a 5 4 R for the bigger 4 legged one's.

 

[Cetawin]

Quote:

"Life in a cage is no life at all"

Life waiting to become the next hawk treat is no life. You cannot harm the hawks, the nest or the babies so protect your birds...they will be happier alive than dead.

 

[jjthink]

Ditto the above post.
JJ

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Quote:
dieselgrl48, I know it goes without saying that you should keep the guns safe from your young grandson. My parents prided themselves on how safe they were with their guns and always kept one loaded and close by. Unfortunately, I got shot with a shotgun at 14 through no fault of my own. The gun was "ready" to take out a hawk that was flying around our property and our chickens. I'm sure you're safe with them, but every time I read a story like this I think of how my life could have been so different. Please don't take it as chastisement, just a cautionary tale. Thanks for listening.

 

[Sweetpeaswan]

Well I can tell ya that Toms fishing line is a great idea, we used them at the shore for years
to keep gulls and osprey's from coming in... and the fishing line dissapears so it's not a eye sore.

As for those birds of prey....We noticed that over the past few months that the feral cats
in the neighbor hood were dwindling. then i noticed a hawk circling out by the greenway and put
it together, told my husband and thought that would be the end of it . WRONG,WRONG,WRONG!!

Everymorning he lets our long haired chijauja(ok, i don't know how to spell it) out in the yard
with our yellow lab. But on this particular morning that BIG OLD BIRD was sitting in the Ficus
tree!!! He swooped down after the little guy but just missed thanks to Max's bounding into the
yard right after the little guy. Needless to say my husband was shocked...couldn't believe this bird
was right here in the middle of the neighborhood waiting to have breakfeast...obviously he was
out of cats.

Now that we have our girls they are protected from all angles.

 

[NewHen]

This hawk (https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=4534390) still comes every day. We've got some other hawks that come over the yard, but they're less bold. There's a loud swoosh as all the wild birds rush into the trees. When I have the chickens loose in the yard, and the hawks swoop in, they just go behind the coop and under the composter bin. My daughter, however, freaks out and yells "Hawk! Play dead!" I have some that hatched in March, May and June and none have been snatched or killed (yet).

 

[poltroon]

Backyard Poultry has a letter this month suggesting that hawks were foiled with a network of fishing line grids tied over the top of the run, with tape streamers added to it. Relatively simple and inexpensive and seems very practical. Not only do I rather like hawks, (and they are very uncommon in southern California) but perhaps more to the point, my experience is that they don't always knock first. IE, if hawks are a possibility, you're better off making the run hawk-resistant than assuming you'll be able to deal with individual hawks before they start snacking.