i'm glad it wasn't able to get your birds! i can't imagine!
but with that being said... that's a gorgeous hawk.
i'd rather look at them from a distance too.... we have a fake owl up on our coop.... i can't say for sure that it is what is keeping the hawks away but we get fly overs and never had a problem with them coming down.
just a thought.
glad no one was hurt or lost.
that picture could have been taken in my back yard, too! last year a chicken hawk bounced on the old chicken wire over the chicken yard until it found an opening and got one of my girls. I think that the plastic netting is too flexible and unsturdy for them because I haven't seen them try it since I replaced the wire. This year it got two of my favorite silkies before I knew it! This is the time of year that hawks migrate and I'm hopeful that the one hanging out here moves on soon. I hate to keep my girls from ranging, but better safe than sorry
I often see a hawk sitting on top of my chicken yard fencing, studying how to foil the netting. It is pretty impressive how that netting truly saves my chickens' lives EVERY day.