*sigh* looking for a free chicken dinner and just won't leave!!!!

[Emzyyy]

I absolutly LOVE Peregrine Falcons they are one of the fastest animals on earth. Reaching speeds up to 200 miles an hour in pursuit of prey sometimes killing it just when they hit from the imapct, like being hit by a train. They're favorite meal is duck. Known as the "duck hawk" in North America.

I watch animal planet a bit to much. Females are bigger and more markings. It is coming back from near extinction when we had DDT poisoning in 1950's-70's. They usually like big cities because they like nesting up high on buildings.

 

[deerman]

Thinking it looks a little large for a cooper Hawk. Looking more like a young redtail.

Some people call redtails Chicken hawks.

Cooper hawks have long tail feathers and look alot like the sharp-shimmed hawk only larger.

 

[deerman]

Quote:
Here in Ohio, The DNR set up breeding pairs in the larger cities, track them, even have a live cam at the Columbus Nest Site. Feed on all the common Pigeon in the cities.

The live cam site.

http://ohiodnr.com/wildlife/dow/falcons/columbus.aspx

 

[Duppydo]

I think its a juvenile red tail also. It's red tail may not have developed its reddish plummage yet..

 

[Livinzoo]

Wow. Nice pics.

I have 7 free range roosters....well I guess I should say had 7 now have 6. Came across the kill site last night. His head, crop and quite a bit of meat where gone. All the feathers were in a circular area about 5 feet in diameter. It was next to a tree line but still in the open. We weren't sure what got him until we saw the white poo of a hawk. And this was the EE roo I was thinking about keeping. Oh well. This is why my special birds are in a covered run.

Good luck getting your hawk to move on.

 

[luvmychicknkids]

Thanks guys! She was still here today. *SIGH* I wish she was ready to go now. My chickens are getting very mad at me. She is such a beauty though. It is bad because as much as I want her to leave I could just sit and watch her for hours.

 

[Stonerowfarm]

We had the same bird of prey here a few weeks ago (I believe it is a young red-tail). Kept our chicks in their coop for well over a week. Unfortunately as she was hunting around the yard, initially chasing a bunny, she caught sight of one of my dogs lying on the couch, in the window. She flew straight at him, hitting the glass with such force she left wing, breast and even claw prints on the glass. A terrible loss, but the chicks were safe. The pup she went after was a good size pomeranian - about 18-20 lbs. So, be careful of your chicks and pup. They go for just about anything. (I've also heard they will go after baby goats. My other passion.)

 

[luvmychicknkids]

Wow....it is a wonder she didn't break the window! Sounds like she hit hard!

 

[chickenannie]

Hey why don't you try a trampoline pen? It has a cover on it (the trampoline bouncy stuff), but the chooks can range inside on grass. You just run chicken wire around the edges. Mine's not pretty (I had to put a tarp on top to stop the rain, and lay boards on the open part to keep the poults from flying out, but it would work in your situation (by the way, the turkey on top is one of my breeders -- who gets to free-range):

 

[Kev]

Agree it is not a coopers. Very familiar with those.. unfortunately! Those are the worst at killing and killing and killing(YES they do that- witnessed that several times).. and will not just go away either.

Yours is some kind of buteo hawk probably. Buteos are a group of 'soaring' hawks and kinda heavy- looking like your guy. Redtails are buteo hawks..

How about bothering it? Toss things up in the air, making loud noises(toy pistols?) to make it go away. It is too determined to allow to hang around for long that's for sure.