New subject: Birds fending off an hawk

[Napper]

Not more than  5 minutes ago as I was watching the weather, hoping for rain. I thought I saw a large Accipiter land in the tree across the street.
Naw I am seeing things again. A few seconds later the tree is surrounded by many types of birds in air. I get up and go to the window and watch all of this activity thinking that there must be a swarm of bugs out there. Flying around the tree are Tree swalllows, Barn swallows, grackles and Starlings.
I thought this is a bit wierd so I step outside and as I reach the driveway a  "Cooper" or a "Sharpie" makes a run for a tree down the street.
The hoard of birds follow it to the next tree and then it happens again,  down the street.  All the birds all disapeared  in a matter of seconds. Shortly thereafter  all  was quiet again. With the exception of a few Grackles at the tops of the trees making their wonderful sound, almost like lookouts??

Has any one else seen this sort of activity before?  Napper..  

Far to dark and cloudy for any images and again it happened in just a minute or so.

 :wink:  :?:  :lol:

[Wulff]

Ive seen it numerous times, normally with with just 2 or 3  birds (Grackles, RWBS etc) harrassing a hawk as it flies by.

Like you though I saw a "swarming" of a Sharpie right in my backyard, it was the wildest thing Ive seen yet. For the last month or two, theres been a Sharpie ( not sure its the same 1, but assuming it is) that regularily checks in and cruises over our area that abuts a woodlot/stream. Theres been a couple days, when I've come home form work only to find an explosion of feathers in the grass in my back yard. Anyways, after dinner one night about a week ago I heard a racket and stepped out. Saw the Sharpie go from inside the canopy of one tree, to the next nearest tree with an unknown number of birds hot on his heels. He hopped from one branch to next much like a monkey might. Whether he was chasing dinner or not I don't know, but there was no mistaking the racket and sheer number of Grackles, RWBs, Swallows all after him, if I had to guess Id say 20 birds. After about a minute of this, the Sharpie took off and just like that everything went back t normal.
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[Napper]

The grackles always seem to very be defensive/agressive(also seem to post lookouts)

I was surprised to to see Swallows harrassing this hawk.  :?:  :?:

pretty sure it was an accipiter   long tail, barred brown and beige,  brownish top wing feathers and back

happened very quik, (as ususal)..  They never sit still in  tree for more than a few seconds.

I was lucky enough to catch a shot of  a Coopers hawk during March of this year in my tree.  Again there and gone in a few seconds . It might be the same guy

hard to know..  images only 2  in my gallery thingy.. Napper :lol: