Does anyone else smack in the city-I'm talking major inner city, huge crossroads, buildings etc. have any kestral or hawks? They haven't become a nuisance yet, but the other day I noticed a different looking bird on our telephone pole-and another on the other. Our backyard is 40ft across or just about and there is one on both sides. All I could make out looking into the sun was "zebra finch" black markings on it's face. I thought for a second "What in the world?" and it flew and I saw tapired like swallow-ish wings on it and something in it's claws. It circled and came back to the pole and started eating whatever it was holding.
Whoa. My boyfriend was wondering like I was. I said "Mini hawk." It's a kestrel! The chickens absolutely SCREAMED. If any of you have ever had a swooping predator or soaring one you know how they react! The one on the west pole sat and stared. I turned back to the other one still shreaded his victim. I thought "You know, I kind of like them better than the hawk." then I wondered where they've been and where they came from. I'm sure they aren't sharing the hawks territory, or could they? It doesn't seem like that would be a working housing arrangement between the two.
Three houses down from mine is a huge pine tree of some sort in which the hawk calls home. I don't see em frequently so they must take off in the other direction most times not passing my house. On occasion they soar right over the yard and it sets all 15 of my birds, all of my two neighbor's birds off. This hawk (I'm not sure what he's preying on) usually goes down to the end of the street in a small intersection and swoops fast 90 degrees down. He does it often and I'm not sure what he's after. He comes up with no food and flies back over my yard and goes back to his telephone pole that is right behind his tree which is two poles away from ours. Sits there for an hour or so. Now, I can't recall if I've ever seen a mate for this one, but one day I came outside and heard the hawk on his pole screeching like a desperate call for someone. The poor thing looks lost and lonely.
The hawk has never shown any threat to my chickens are looked like he thought about them for food. Must be surviving on something else. I also wonder if they (if there was a mate) had chicks. There was a nest visable a while back, but the tree has grown so much I'm not sure if it's still there. We turn out our heavy breed chickens, Cornish, Rocks, Orp, etc and they have plenty of places to hide if they swooped. We have all kinds of overhanging garden plant items and bushy things to hind under as well as cages, porch roof and things underneath it they could not get to them, but they haven't shown any interest in my chickens.
Yeah...that's the worst sign right there eh? Not acting like they're interested. I only see the hawk maybe once a month or so also.
For as much as predators these birds are, I guess the point of my thoughts is even though we may panic and hate them for harming our flock, I have to say there is a joy and pleasure to see them right in our backyards (when they're not raising heck of course). Such amazing big birds and some that people never get to see or travel far to be able to see them with no luck.
Sorry if I'm feeling the peace and beauty of nature this morning
Three houses down from mine is a huge pine tree of some sort in which the hawk calls home. I don't see em frequently so they must take off in the other direction most times not passing my house. On occasion they soar right over the yard and it sets all 15 of my birds, all of my two neighbor's birds off. This hawk (I'm not sure what he's preying on) usually goes down to the end of the street in a small intersection and swoops fast 90 degrees down. He does it often and I'm not sure what he's after. He comes up with no food and flies back over my yard and goes back to his telephone pole that is right behind his tree which is two poles away from ours. Sits there for an hour or so. Now, I can't recall if I've ever seen a mate for this one, but one day I came outside and heard the hawk on his pole screeching like a desperate call for someone. The poor thing looks lost and lonely.
The hawk has never shown any threat to my chickens are looked like he thought about them for food. Must be surviving on something else. I also wonder if they (if there was a mate) had chicks. There was a nest visable a while back, but the tree has grown so much I'm not sure if it's still there. We turn out our heavy breed chickens, Cornish, Rocks, Orp, etc and they have plenty of places to hide if they swooped. We have all kinds of overhanging garden plant items and bushy things to hind under as well as cages, porch roof and things underneath it they could not get to them, but they haven't shown any interest in my chickens.
Yeah...that's the worst sign right there eh? Not acting like they're interested. I only see the hawk maybe once a month or so also.
For as much as predators these birds are, I guess the point of my thoughts is even though we may panic and hate them for harming our flock, I have to say there is a joy and pleasure to see them right in our backyards (when they're not raising heck of course). Such amazing big birds and some that people never get to see or travel far to be able to see them with no luck.
Sorry if I'm feeling the peace and beauty of nature this morning
