Look What I Found In My Backyard This Morning

[BCMaraniac]

I found this mostly eaten bird in my backyard. The backbone and pelvis were intact, but all of the flesh was gone as was the head. It has very long talons. I appears to be a medium sized bird, and I suspect it is a Cooper's Hawk. Any thoughts? It has very long talons.



My chickens free range back here, and I have two roosters with them. I also have a Great Pyrenees who looks after my chickens. I don't know what ate on it, but am wondering if it might have been the chickens. Do you think my rooster might have killed it? None of my birds show any sign of trauma.

 

[Ridgerunner]

That sounds a lot like a raccoon would feed but it could have been something else. And there is no way to know if it killed the hawk or if it found the hawk already dead and scavenged.

You may already know this, but it’s against Federal law to keep bird of prey feathers, even when found like that. It seems a waste, those feathers are so nice, but it’s to prevent people from hunting them and claiming they were found dead like that. No one is going to come looking for you, but just so you know and don’t flaunt them.

 

[BCMaraniac]

That sounds a lot like a raccoon would feed but it could have been something else. And there is no way to know if it killed the hawk or if it found the hawk already dead and scavenged.

You may already know this, but it’s against Federal law to keep bird of prey feathers, even when found like that. It seems a waste, those feathers are so nice, but it’s to prevent people from hunting them and claiming they were found dead like that. No one is going to come looking for you, but just so you know and don’t flaunt them.

My plan was to dispose of the whole carcass. I have no need of the feathers. I guess I could contact the game warden. I was intrigued more by those long talons.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'd just dispose of the whole carcass, not contact a game warden. I don't see a reason to do that. You have the photos to document how you found it. It's a shame that you need to think of things like that but occasionally people get in trouble by not knowing that stuff and taking some basic precautions.

What can I say about those birds of prey, their beaks, talons, eyes, the whole package. They are pretty lightweight too compared to some of the things they hunt. Really remarkable.

 

[BCMaraniac]

I'd just dispose of the whole carcass, not contact a game warden. I don't see a reason to do that. You have the photos to document how you found it. It's a shame that you need to think of things like that but occasionally people get in trouble by not knowing that stuff and taking some basic precautions.

What can I say about those birds of prey, their beaks, talons, eyes, the whole package. They are pretty lightweight too compared to some of the things they hunt. Really remarkable.

I spoke to a local sporting goods store, which is also the place you take deer kills, etc. to be tagged, and they suggested I contact the game warden to come get the carcass to make sure disease wasn't the cause of death. Apparently an eagle was found recently that was infected with Salmonella. So I left it where it was and called the game warden and left a message. I will leave it where I found it for now, unless I get further instruction from him.

 

[animalspooker]

I think you should post a sign at the end of your driveway saying, "Thank you for protecting my chickens. And by the way, GOOD SHOT!"

 

[BCMaraniac]

I think you should post a sign at the end of your driveway saying, "Thank you for protecting my chickens. And by the way, GOOD SHOT!"

LOL. Only problem with that is the game warden would probably park in the neighbor's driveway and watch. I really do wonder if my Great Pyrenees could have had something to do with it. He barks at hawks and crows as they fly over. If something came down out of the sky toward the birds, I believe he would intervene.

The game warden called me back and said he hadn't heard of any reported dead hawks found, but he would call it in just in case it was the beginning of some disease. He said it sounded like there wasn't really enough left of this bird to do any testing with anyway. I don't know what got the head, but the rest of the bones were intact. I would think that anything other than mice or the chickens would have carried off pieces and parts. The only flesh that might be remaining would be the wings, because they are intact. He told me to dispose of the carcass if I wanted to or to just leave it. I don't think I want to leave it in my back yard. LOL That clump of tail feathers is really pretty, but are illegal to keep. So I guess it is off to the trash or the compost pile.