One of these things just doesn't belong here.....

[Mojo Chick'n]

Other than the wheelbarrow and chair and junk I am in the process of cleaning

....

Thankfully all the little bitties were hanging in the middle of the big biddies. He missed his lunch today.

Most of the hawks we get are a lot bigger than this little guy - maybe a falcon of some sort?

he was rather bold, I know that - must have been hungry.

meri

 

[Sitka]

Go away, go away!

I wonder if there is something you could put up that would discourage him? Worth checking into.

 

[threehorses]

Quote:
They apparently dislike shiney things. Older books recommend a pole with a "mobile" made of shiney metal that will catch in the wind. They say when the shine is lost, so is the effectiveness.

I know a couple of people on here are using CD's for that purpose - the ones that are blank on both sides. They're easy to string, catch the wind, blow about and flush their shine. It's worth a shot. I'd definitely make a fishing line string and string something there. It doesn't have to be unattractive. I imagine you could find something of shiney metal that would be decorative to put there.

 

[CMV]

You know you own chickens when you can spot a hawk just by glancing quickly at a photo...
Glad your chickens were okay.

 

[chickenzoo]

Emus are good at keeping away hawks..............................................LOL. I think the hawks around here think I'm raising monster chickens.

But on a serious note, if you attract crows they will help keep the hawks away. They will chase them off and harass them. Of course then you have crows................. but i think they are the lesser of two evils.

 

[mypicklebird]

Crows can go after chicks, but so far we love our crows here- they chase the hawks away with great vigor. The crows chasing, and the guineas yelling keep the hawks at bay.


Quote:

 

[shelleyd2008]

That is so cool!!! It could be a falcon, I'll do some searching and see what we are supposed to have locally.

I've also heard that the shiny things keep them away. You can go to walmart and get a pack of computer CD's for like $5 and hang them around the coops.

I'm off to figure out what that little guy is! Much smaller than the injured red tail that the dogs scared out of the woods

It was about half the height of Cristian, and we had to walk about 10' away from it to get by!!

ETA: According to the raptor rehab in Somerset, (http://www.raptorrehab.org/new/frameset.htm) the following are native to KY:
Hawks:
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Cooper's Hawk
Broad-winged Hawk
Sharp-shinned Hawk

Vultures
Turkey Vulture
Black Vulture

Falcons:
Peregrine Falcon
North American Kestrel

Eagles
Bald Eagle

It definitely looks like a peregrine, but I'm still looking for a pic of a cooper's hawk.
The cooper's hawk looks to have quite a long tail (4-5" at least), so I'm thinking it's for sure a peregrine falcon...Too cool!!!

ETA: Okay, I'm not sure, can't see the tail very good, but it's one or the other (at least I know it's not an eagle!

)

 

[Ang]

It looks like a Cooper's or Sharp-Shinned Hawk. They are smaller hawks. They both prey on song birds.

 

[ranchhand]

Oooh, that little stinker! The bluejays here raise cain and run the hawks off. Usually, some get to be lunch every now and then.


Great pics!

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

We have a flock of crows that hangs out, usually, but they weren't to be found today, I guess.

This guy was smaller than the red tails we get, It looked like he was only maybe 9 or 10 inches tall. I didn't get a good look at his tail.

I couldn't even get very close, for fear he'd fly off before I snapped the pic

soon as he saw me he was off and gone.

Only reason I caught him at all was because I was sitting on the porch having a break from cutting those weeds around everything. I had a perfect view of the corral from the porch.

btw - what ARE those tall ferny like weeds that grow everywhere in KY ?????

meri