Cooper’s Hawk, at “The Restaurant”
Cooper’s hawks visit frequently. I have seen one in the yard each day for the past week. I like to see the hawks. They are magnificent birds. But, I don’t want my little birds to be a daily meal. I think it is time for me to take down these bird feeders for the little birds for a bit, until this Cooper’s Hawk stops coming by every afternoon.
This part of Albuquerque, with its “urban forests,” is home to a very dense population of Cooper’s hawks – as dense as in any of their natural habitats. They are very successful in this urban environment, partly because of people like me who attract their meals for them. The hawks have to eat, too, but I don’t have to make it too easy for them.
Where’s breakfast? Great shot!
Hi, Tim. Thanks!
I have never seen one at my house for breakfast. I’m not saying they don’t come here for that; I just haven’t seen it. On the other hand, my mom says she has hawks drop by for breakfast on a fairly regular basis. She doesn’t see them in the evening. Weird, huh?
Nice to see you this morning.
good shot, particularly as it shows the tail nicely – that is the only way I can distinguish it and a sharp-shinned Hawk who’s tail is more squared off.
Hi, Bob. That is also the only way I can tell them apart! Since I figured that out, I have not seen a sharp-shinned hawk around here recently, although I know I have seen them in the past. At times I wonder if the Cooper’s are so successful that they are pushing others out in my neighborhood, just like the white winged doves have been effective at pushing most of the mourning doves out.
Thanks for stopping by today.
It’s not just the tail: http://blog.leica-birding.com/advanced-id-tip-sharp-shinned-or-coopers/ Great picture!
Hi. Thank you for dropping by and taking the time to leave a comment, and for the link!
I agree with you completely. The issue for me, and I think also for ozarkerbob (although I really cannot speak for him), is that when they are flying past, there is not a lot of time to look at all the fine details and a glance at a tail going by is better than nothing.
Where I live in Albuquerque, we have a very dense population of Cooper’s hawks, as dense as in any of their “natural” environments.
You might enjoy this post from August:
http://susanbgraham.com/blog/2014/08/06/coopers-hawk/
Initially I thought this was a territorial display, but after some additional reading I think it possible this hawk may have been “courting” me. 🙂 )))))))
Again, thank you for taking the time to visit and to leave a comment.