So, I've been watching a Sharp-shinned Hawk buzzing around my backyard and chasing all the little birdys for the past couple weeks. I had one last winter for a while until the Coopers pair and also Red-tail pair started coming around.
The Sharpie is a bold little guy while the bigger Hawks take off at first sight of me. I can almost walk up to this little Hawk now some mornings without too much trouble. And other days I just know he's out there with the backyard being so quiet.
Thursday I went out and was filling up the feeders. The weather is still decent so my little princess of a cat joins me... she is on a leash and harness with a good 25 ft of leash to roam about. Well, Meadow is sitting near the fence, staring off into next door's yard at some House Sparrows hopping about when suddenly out of the pines right behind my house comes the little Sharpie and he's going right for Meadow. The Hawk is coming down, talons out, right at my cat... but I guess he realized she was too big and he veered up and off over to the yard next door. He sits himself near their clothes line set-up for a couple minutes and now has Meadow's attention. So what does this Hawk do now? Decides to take another shot at her! He swoops down, talons out again, and Meadow is thinking "Oh boy, a bird wants to play!" and she positions herself to jump at him. And once again the Hawk flies up and lands on a branch right above my head. He starts letting off these little chirps, stares at me, stares at Meadow, and a few minutes later off he goes.
What's up with this Hawk? Is he that hungry? That stupid? Or trying some sort of territorial thing with us?
I watched a Sharpie a couple summers ago attack the Squirrels. He did the same thing this one did with Meadow... fly down, talons out and the fly up.
Today he was out there looking pretty relaxed in the neighbour's cedars next door at the back. I watched him for a bit while I did my feeder filling.
Thanks for reading, here are a couple shots...
All I could think at this moment was "please do not poop on me"
A bit of a stare down between us.
And this one is from today, being the closest I have ever been to a Sharp-shinned Hawk.
« Last Edit: December 31, 1969, 07:00:00 PM by Guest »
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