I live out in the country, and see hawks everyday. Over the past 5 years, probably more, I've noticed them more and more. The reason for this is the destruction of their habitat. Now I can't drive down the highway and not see them perched on light posts and signposts, and occasionally see them dead on the side of the road from being hit by a car. It's sad. It's not their fault that humans have taken over their land. It makes me laugh to read about people talking about cats destroying the ecosystem. Yes, they eat the same prey as raptors, but in reality, humans are the ones doing the most destruction. Humans kill for fun, too.
Kudos to the person mentioning chicken owners at being at fault for not providing adequate housing. I do let my flock free range, and we have hawks all over our property, and I intend to take full responsibility if one of them gets my birds, but it's nature. Out of the dozens of hawks I've seen around here, only 1 was big enough to attack one of my full grown chickens. That's why have roosters, and there are plenty of places for them to hide.
I don't mean to verbally slap anyone in the face, just chiming in.
Kudos to the person mentioning chicken owners at being at fault for not providing adequate housing. I do let my flock free range, and we have hawks all over our property, and I intend to take full responsibility if one of them gets my birds, but it's nature. Out of the dozens of hawks I've seen around here, only 1 was big enough to attack one of my full grown chickens. That's why have roosters, and there are plenty of places for them to hide.
I don't mean to verbally slap anyone in the face, just chiming in.