Red Tailed Hawks

[Cuban Longtails]

Wow... how'd you keep the balloon from popping while you waited? How long did you have to wait?

I've heard the dead carcass displayed works for coyotes and snakes, but I didn't know it worked on foxes too.

 

[Michael Apple]

Don't inflate the balloon all the way. My field is a grass & was mowed before I did it. Any object that can be carried by wind will work. I thought I'd be inventive by taping a bunch of feathers to it.

 

[LisaJean]

We have Red Shouldered Hawks in the neighborhood, in fact a couple weeks ago I found where they roost. There are about a half dozen of them in the family.

I was worried about my girls, but just now I was at the back door, watching them. There was a distant cry of a RSH, and those girls took off like shots. They all ran behind the old shed in the corner of the yard.

So, they know! I'm not so worried, now, as long as the hawks are dumb enough to reveal themselves while they hunt. LOL

 

[ams3651]

A little while back I read a post where someone tied cd's over their run because the reflection was a deterent to them, wonder if it would work the same just in trees or stakes in the area? I hope I have that right...


found it...
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=25202

 

[LemonBalm]

There is a Red Tail here that has my number. ARGH.
he has taken 3 hens and two ducks so far..The first year - when he was a juvie- he managed to get himself wrapped up in the netting around the poultry yard:

Escaped unharmed and figured out the Free Lunch program from then on.
He is the bane of my chicken loving existence! Even my Jack Russell will take off running to the coop when she hears this darn hawk.

 

[SpottedCrow]

To answer the question: BOTH!
What a beautiful bird! Lemonbalm

It's been predator day at my place today...
I had a redtail crying over the house and I had both girls out around 10 when I hear YIP YIP AWOOO!!! then others joined in...CRAP!
There were at least 4 coyotes in the yard across the street...

 

[ivan3]

Just want to say hi to Micheal Apple (the `biomimetic' balloon lure is now stashed in my trap file - that's method that might have other uses), and to LemonBalm: What a shot! Wish the netting worked each and every time!

For those who are unable to use netting and rely, in part, on CD's, here's another improvisation: We rigged ours like `flying saucers' so that they are almost invisible (hanging from fishing line, but seen edge on) to us, but light up the sky pretty good. If you have a lot of trees leafed-out, the CD's suspended shiny side up and a 10-25mph wind, the area around and above the runs can start to look like an deciduous arboreal disco.

Here's how we fix `em:

 

[LisaJean]

I'm a huge fan of icanhascheezburger dot com, so I couldn't resist captioning those hawk pics.

Or......

 

[jjthink]

Yikes Spotted! Predator city at/near your place that morning! 4 coyotes - yeesh!
JJ

 

[ivan3]

LisaJean wrote:

I couldn't resist captioning those hawk pics

Da, full of FAIL, but

LemonBalm wrote:

Escaped unharmed and figured out the Free Lunch program from then on.
He is the bane of my chicken loving existence!

So, the situation is fraught with ambiguity! (was hung up once, might soon be again?)

(translation provided for by Vladimir Ilyich B. Putin, the once and future Commissar): "Chicken will be the taste of the hawk"

This is accurate regardless...

P.S.: LemonBalm, if playing fast and loose with your marvelous snap is a problem I'll remove asap.​