PDA

View Full Version : So that's what all the fussing was about....



Scott Shepherd
06-08-2010, 8:37 PM
For the last 7-10 days I have been getting woke up (grammar?) at 4:30 each morning by a group of scream red tail hawks that have nested in the neighbors tree. To be honest, it was getting a little bit old as they start at 4:30 each morning and they don't stop. I leave for work and they are still screaming.

I was about to take action on my window and do something to stop the sound so I could get a good night sleep for a change.

So I walk out the door 3 days ago they are screaming like mad. I have a large tree in my front yard and I detected the screaming coming from that, so I walked under it to see if I could see the hawk. I couldn't see it, but I heard more screams behind me, so I turned around to look, and sitting on my roof are 3 baby red tail hawks! All big enough to just start flying (far enough to go from the tree to my roof).

I decided it probably wasn't a good place to be, between a momma hawk and her babies, so I got it the truck and watched them for a minute. One took off and flew to a near by tree. Cool. Camera is at work. Darn it.

Next morning, I walk out, it's quiet for a change. I get to my truck and look in front of it and one of them is sitting on my fence, just hanging out. Camera still at work. Rats. Take photo with the phone. Get in the truck, look, and notice another one on the ground beside it, just looking around. I watch them for a few minutes, then start the truck and back up. About 10 feet back, I look and notice there is a full size bunny rabbit sitting right in front of the two of them. No more than 6 feet from either of them. They pay it no attention. Not wanting to clean up bunny parts, I chase them off and let the rabbit escape. Obviously they haven't learned that bunnies are food yet, or they wouldn't have been sitting there, all hanging out together.

I walk out this morning, 2 in my yard, just standing there. One was picking at something, one just standing there. Get my camera, rats, left better lens at work.... so I walk up about 10 feet from them, they carry on like I'm not there. I take a few photos and start to walk in the house. I look up, 2 more sitting on an old antenna on my house (yes, I know I need to take it down).

So 4 red tail hawks, all just hanging out, 2 in the yard, 2 on the roof.

Pretty cool to see so many so close. The squirrels were running all around the yard like nothing was wrong, about 15 feet from the two on the ground. Again, they obviously haven't learned to hunt yet.

The last photo, you can see the hawk on the fence and the rabbit at the edge of the driveway.

Joe Chritz
06-08-2010, 8:44 PM
Very cool.

I recently feed a bunch of coopers hawk babies with my chickens. :mad:

Once the babies were fledged we never saw them around again.

Almost a little surprising they hung around so close, they must have gotten pretty comfortable.

Joe

Ken Fitzgerald
06-08-2010, 8:44 PM
That rabbit in the last picture hasn't figured out yet that he's on the menu!


Cool picutures!

Jon Lanier
06-08-2010, 9:50 PM
That is SOOOOOO Cool!

Belinda Barfield
06-09-2010, 8:18 AM
Thanks for posting this Steve. Ain't life grand? I love red tailed hawks. I'm so envious of you getting to see them up close and personal.

Ramona Jim
06-13-2010, 12:05 AM
House we had in Vista, CA had a huge window in the living room - with the futon in front of it often in the "bed" position (ever returning kidlets :p). Cats loved to sit in the sun on the futon and watch the world go by.

I worked from home at that time. My desk was directly opposite the futon. I'm on a conference call with the factory in China and the customer in Germany, and hear - feel - a bone jarring crash followed by all 7 cats scrambling away in terror.

I shoot across the living room, and see laying flat on its back on the ground below the giant window an adult red tail hawk - wings fully spread, talons out, completely dazed and confused.

He (she?) twitched and shuttered for a couple seconds, then gathered his wits, flipped over and flapped off.

Cats didn't go back on the futon for several days.

mike holden
06-13-2010, 12:15 PM
You are a lucky man - both to experience this and for taking the time to enjoy it!


Mike

Scott Shepherd
06-13-2010, 1:11 PM
Today's photo. Went to take a shower, decided to peek out the blinds. Of course, camera is left at work again. So this was taken with my phone. I'm literally that close to him. 4 or 5 shingles away. I watched him for about 10 minutes, screaming like a crazy bird. I lifted the blinds and stood there and he just looked at me every so often for a few seconds to make sure I wasn't a threat and then he'd go back to scanning the area and screaming.

Lee Schierer
06-14-2010, 8:23 AM
Awsome. By the way screaming is because they are hungry and Mom and Pop aren't feeding them much to get them out of the nest and flying. Enjoy them while you can. Most likely Mom & Pop will be back to the same nest next year, so my advice is to buy another camera and leave it at home and to invest in some ear plugs for next year.

Jim Becker
06-14-2010, 10:12 PM
They are very cute. Interesting that they are all hanging out as a family so close to you, too.

Mike Cruz
06-15-2010, 8:33 AM
Very cool.

Hitchcock would have had a field day with this... It even had a shower scene!