When I’m puttering around in my kitchen I keep my eye out through my windows for interesting bird activity in my garden where I have my bird feeders. Three days ago, on a cloudy early evening, I happened to spot our neighborhood Cooper’s Hawk as ‘he’ was landing on my feeder stand. That time of day my feeders are usually being mobbed by songbirds, mostly House Sparrows, and the Coop was obviously looking for an easy meal.
He was so intent on looking and listening for panicked sparrows that had flown into my tomato and cucumber plants to escape him, he didn’t even fly off when I opened my patio door so I could photograph him from inside my dining room.
1/1250, f/5.6, ISO 800, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
Since he was hunting he was usually looking down. This is one of the few photos that had eye contact.
Not long after this photo was taken he spotted (or heard) a sparrow in one of my tomato plants almost directly below him. So he flew down and chased that sparrow around the tomato plant. The two of them frantically circled the tomato plant twice before the sparrow escaped into my thick grape vines growing on my side fence.
1/2500, f/5.6, ISO 1600, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
When he first returned to his hunting perch he was facing me again but here he’d decided to turn 180° on the perch and he was having difficulty maintaining his balance.
1/2500, f/5.6, ISO 1600, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
It may look like he’s about to poop but he’s just using his tail to try to keep his balance.
1/2000, f/5.6, ISO 1600, Canon R5, Canon EF500mm f/4L IS II USM + 1.4 tc, not baited, set up or called in
After this last shot was taken he flew to the fence you see in the lower background to hunt from there (no photos of him there because he was mostly behind my sunflowers). I watched as he flew down after a sparrow behind my tomato and amaranth plants. I couldn’t see him back there but I knew he was still there so I quickly took my photo gear outside and sat at my patio table in hopes that he’d make another appearance.
I sat there for nearly five minutes before I realized that he was in plain sight on the ground to the left of my amaranth plants. But he recognized the moment we made eye contact and that spooked him so he flew, with a sparrow in his talons, into one of my Catalpa trees where I couldn’t see him. He apparently ate the rest of the sparrow there because I saw several feathers falling to the ground from his hidden perch. I never saw him again.
I could kick myself for not spotting him earlier while he was still on the ground. He’d been out in the open and in plain sight. And he had prey.
Ron
I have a backyard Cooper’s as well. I have named it “Inviserator”, as I have to clean up the mess from it’s many dove kills. It’s welcome to hang out as long as it never bothers my Russian Tortoises. If that happens, all bets are off.
A question if I may, are you considering the R5 II? I would love to see a blog on that.
Thanks so much!
I find the hatch year Coops are inquisitive and less likely to flush. We have them every year. They love to watch the birds in our mew. The young bird this year follows me around the yard watching me. They are a pleasure to have despite dinning on the other yard birds.
April, I agree about juvies being less spooky. But generally they still won’t tolerate me in the back yard with them.
Fantastic shots, Ron! I can’t help but think that the penultimate shot is some sort of social commentary (or maybe a personal barb) by the Coop. 😉 Feel sorta bad for the little sparrow. Thought it had managed to hide from the hawk.
Thanks Marty, it wasn’t the first sparrow. The first one escaped to my grape vine. The second one wasn’t so lucky.
We don’t see predator birds at home. Which means that the ‘others’ are perhaps less wary than they should be. The neighbouring cats (ours live inside) get the odd one or two. Another great series – and I am often amazed at how well birds hide in plain sight – particularly if they are not moving.
“We don’t see predator birds at home.”
That’s always seemed like a mysterious concept to me, EC. Even hard to imagine. But then your critters in Oz are mysterious in a lot of ways.
They are around, but not in the suburbs. And I suppose our currawongs (who are ominovores) count as a small scale predator. I do see them, but typically eating seed or apple rather than hunting small birds. They are partial to cat food too.
There are several species of sparrow and finch that like to “borrow” dog kibble from the puppers at the animal shelter. Even the Corvids will sometimes go after a rogue kibble piece or dog treat in the exercise yards.
Great shots Ron! That’s some very nice backyard wildlife action. We had a neighborhood Cooper’s last year, but I haven’t seen him around this year. Since the nesting Harriers and their two immature young left the area a couple of months ago, it’s been pretty slow behind my house. I wish the Cooper’s would show up again
Thanks, Bill. I’m envious of your nearby harriers. I have to drive quite a distance to have any chance of finding harriers.
I do enjoy watching the harriers. This is the second year they’ve nested behind my house, although this year they seemed to be nesting further away. I just wish I had your photography skills for capturing photos of them.
I watch the sparrows, doves and quail in my yard busily foraging right now, not worrying about hawks at the moment. But, soon! Their arrival always brings mixed feelings – the elation of seeing such magnificent creatures (so beautifully shown in your photos), but sadness, too, at seeing the feathers floating down from the spruce tree, often the only indication of the hawk’s presence and success. Seeing those floating feathers always starts a little philosophical period of reflection for me on Nature’s wonders.
Carolyn, in situations like you describe I used to have those “philosophical periods of reflection” but I don’t anymore. But I’ll admit, that may be in part because in my yard the sacrificial bird has always been a House Sparrow. If it ever happens with something like a grosbeak or an oriole I might feel differently.
All good shots Ron. Have gotten many nice shots of various raptors as they adjust their position and fan out those wings to stay balanced. I that guy really likes your yard and may be around for awhile. We have seen them on the ground killing a Dove and it is not fun to watch.
“We have seen them on the ground killing a Dove”
I’ve seen that too, Everett. On the ground and on my roof.
We have a neighborhood Red- Shouldered Hawk that we hear every day but rarely see because of the thick trees. I wonder if our neighbors even know he’s there.
“I wonder if our neighbors even know he’s there.”
I’ll bet most of them don’t. Maybe all of them.
Audacious, care’s less about humans unless they get too close, a bird, a hawk I truly like, at least that is how our Cooper’s behave here in middle Vermont. Great images!!
Thanks, Dick. Great to see you hanging around again.
Fun and funny! “Hiding in plain sight” does seem to occur regularly for me. Beautiful bird – feeder stand being narrow and slippery WAS a challenge for him.
Seeing more hawks “around” the past week or so and had a couple of goldens cruising the area yesterday.
Fun note after being sure no Amaranth had made it there’s a 3 footer with bloom hiding amongst the tomatoe plants! 🙂 Few smaller plants hiding in back. Suspect they may need more moisture than they tend to get in some areas of the garden that is mostly perrennials.
Thanks, Judy.
I have small volunteer amaranth plants coming up all over the place. And when they start late they bloom when they’re very small. 2′ blooming amaranth plants look pretty silly next to 12′ blooming amaranth.
I usually pull the late ones.
Very nice shots!
That is a Coops encounter. This young one seems to be learning quick. With every successful hunt, the odds of a return go up.
We currently have two Coops in our Los Angeles urban neighborhood. Had one come by and take a drink from our backyard fountain.
Love those Coops.
“Love those Coops.”
So do I, Michael.
As far as I know, this is the only Coop that currently hangs out in our neighborhood. I just wish he’d show up more often. I have no problem with ‘donating” a House Sparrow or two when he does.