I hate hawks more than anything, but....

[Starkasm]

Hawks are getting ready to migrate so there are tons of them hovering. We've seen anywhere from 3 to over a dozen, flying in circles over the house! I hate them. It was around this time last year that I saved a chicken from one as it was trying to out exhaust it and drag it across my front yard!
Then yesterday my hubby found this broken legged little juvenile (red shouldered hawk) in the local grocery store parking lot and everything changes....



Why on earth you suddenly feel the need to save it and make sure it lives is beyond me, but that's how we felt....

After several phone calls (find a place open on Sunday!), we found a rehabilitation center and they came and picked it up. Then I think...they will release it to eat someone's chickens...sigh

 

[centrarchid]

Looks like a juvenile Coopers Hawk. Saving one does not make a significant difference. If it makes you feel better, odds are stacked against rehabilitated birds post-release. Even more so for juveniles missing out on critical parts of learning curve.

I loose very few birds to hawks and enjoy watching the interactions associated with their attempts.

 

[Starkasm]

Well it is a living thing, which makes one want to give it the best possible chance to live, regardless of what it is.
Our coop and pens are in a pine grove so hard for a hawk to navigate. The one in the front yard was probably young too, I'm guessing cause it was trying to drag off a fat barred rock chicken and failed!
The aviary place we sent it to is experienced with this type of thing so I'm guessing if they think it can't go free they'll keep it. The woman that picked it up said it's a red shouldered hawk, common in my area.

 

[centrarchid]

We have red-shouldered, red-tailed, broadwinged, and Coopers hawks common. Second and last are regionally variable so red-shouldered may be as well with respect to coloration of juveniles.


I have seen rehabbers that did not know what species that had at point of capture.

 

[heiditam]

Awww...they are amazingly beautiful.

I had a red tail hawk stalking my chickens yesterday, and it let me take several pictures of it before I shooed it away--although I hate them too, it was amazingly beautiful-the detail of its feathers-it was a red tail hawk...