Wild Kingdom / Circle of Life / Bird-Feeder

[Ad Astra]

I enjoy maintaining a birdfeeder. There's good karma in feeding the hungry, especially in winter.

To be clear, I don't tolerate rodents - it's one of those feeder that slides down to keep House-Eaters (squirrels) from feeding. Anyways.

Getting lots of desirable birds- cardinals, etc. and I feel for the mourning doves - too fat to land, so they clean up what falls.

Added safflower seed last week and there's been an explosion in feeding - as you'll see.

Looks like the Circle of Life took place yesterday while I was at work ...

Unsure who got killed. No corpse to be found!

But I have identified a suspect:

Looked like Mutual of Omaha Wild Kingdom! The hawk is back!

I guess "bird feeder" can also mean, "bird-feeder for predators."

Maybe not surprisingly, no takers this morning at breakfast ... they probably think I set them up!


AA

 

[Black Adder]

We've discussed this fellow/gal in this previous thread:

Hawk tries to eat my hummingbirds!

Now, get THIS: Notice in THIS the little guy aborting a feeder-landing: Who knows hawks? Is this a red-tailed? This hawk has taken up residence in our backyard, in part because of the neighbor's feeders … A hummingbird would just be a mouthful for him! Last week I heard the...

www.badgerandblade.com

It's a red shouldered hawk, and certainly a suspect. but you can't rule out a Cooper's or sharp-shinned, either.

It's going to happen if you keep feeding birds. Like you said, the Circle of Life. I feed throughout the year, and usually I observe around 5 to 7 successful hawk attacks a year. Mostly Cooper's or sharp-shinned attacks. And these are the ones I've seen.

By the feather remnants, I'd say it was a domestic pigeon or rock dove that met its end.

Don

 

[Scarry Knight]

Cooper’s have a symbiotic relationship with hummingbirds. They wouldn’t normally prey on them. They nest near hummers in order to target the squirrels and other rodents that rob the hummers’ nests. Hummer colonies will set up home in a large circle around a Cooper’s nest for their protection.

See if these will help, though it sounds like Black Adder has it.
Cooper’s

Red-Tailed

Red-Shouldered


(The Complete Encyclopedia Of North American Birds)

I thought the legs a little thick for a sharp shinned but could be wrong. Shout back if you want it’s brief synopsis. Or either’s full article.

 

[Ad Astra]

We've discussed this fellow/gal in this previous thread:

Hawk tries to eat my hummingbirds!

Now, get THIS: Notice in THIS the little guy aborting a feeder-landing: Who knows hawks? Is this a red-tailed? This hawk has taken up residence in our backyard, in part because of the neighbor's feeders … A hummingbird would just be a mouthful for him! Last week I heard the...

www.badgerandblade.com

It's a red shouldered hawk, and certainly a suspect. but you can't rule out a Cooper's or sharp-shinned, either.

It's going to happen if you keep feeding birds. Like you said, the Circle of Life. I feed throughout the year, and usually I observe around 5 to 7 successful hawk attacks a year. Mostly Cooper's or sharp-shinned attacks. And these are the ones I've seen.

By the feather remnants, I'd say it was a domestic pigeon or rock dove that met its end.

Don

Thanks, Don. I'd forgotten the bird had been accused of targeting Hummers, he was after larger prey! It's also eaten more than one squirrel.

I do feel bad if it was a dove; poor thing. Hawks are magnificent birds, though.

Maybe I could put out another feeder with Pel-Freeze rabbit chunks in it!


AA

 

[ajkel64]

Nice feeder @Ad Astra. Are you in the town limits or out of the town limits? I just wonder if Hawks venture into built up areas? I am in my township but more outer than inner. We have thought about getting a feeder for a little while now. We do have a small bird bath that does not get much action but I think it might be too small. I have not noticed hawks etc flying around town but I could be wrong in saying that.

 

[Bakker1964]

We are fortunate in our neighbourhood. The abundance of tree rats makes them a much easier target for hawks than are the many birds that visit our feeder (among others in the area). Mostly finches and sparrows, but the occasional grackles, too. It is fun to see the crowd of birds scatter quickly when either the Blue Jays or Local Cardinals come for a snack.

 

[Ad Astra]

Nice feeder @Ad Astra. Are you in the town limits or out of the town limits? I just wonder if Hawks venture into built up areas? I am in my township but more outer than inner. We have thought about getting a feeder for a little while now. We do have a small bird bath that does not get much action but I think it might be too small. I have not noticed hawks etc flying around town but I could be wrong in saying that.

Just outside. Blessed with a lot of wildlife: bears, coyotes, rattlesnakes, meat-eating giant birds ...


AA

 

[Bakker1964]

Nice feeder @Ad Astra. Are you in the town limits or out of the town limits? I just wonder if Hawks venture into built up areas? I am in my township but more outer than inner. We have thought about getting a feeder for a little while now. We do have a small bird bath that does not get much action but I think it might be too small. I have not noticed hawks etc flying around town but I could be wrong in saying that.

I live in a suburb of Toronto. It is the ninth largest City in Canada, with a pop. of ~800k. When our subdivisions were being built in the 60s - 70s, a bit of thought went into planning greenspaces alongside the housing and other infrastructure. As such, 50 years on, our subdivisions see all manner of avians, up to and including hawks. I had the luck of watching a hawk tear into a squirrels nest in our neighbour's crab apple tree last spring, and leave with the inhabitants. We also have the usual assortment of urban wildlife (coyotes, raccoons, beaver, squirrels, and even the occasional opossum). Every once in a blue moon a white tail will stray from the herd in a nearby conservation ground, and wander through the park system, too.

 

[mpontiff]

AA - something you might be interested in doing if you haven’t already, plant some cover such as shrubs near the feeders or make a brush pile, which provides cover for ground species like Sparrows and Juncos.

 

[Scarry Knight]

Great Horned, Screech, Saw Whet, Barn, even a Snowy, Golden Eagle, herons and cranes, cormorant. Kestrels, Peregrines, Cooper’s, Red-Tails, all seen in the suburban sprawl of and around Chicago. Including the loop and lakefront, Deer, fox, coyote in our own lawns. We aren’t as big a threat to wildlife as some would have us believe.

 

[Black Adder]

I do feel bad if it was a dove; poor thing. Hawks are magnificent birds, though.

AA

The feather remains are not from a mourning dove. I was referring to the common pigeon you see in the cities and huddled under bridge girders. Some folks call them feathered rats!

I took another look at the crime scene photo. If you all don't mind another episode of "Law and Order: Avian Criminal Unit".......

You didn't see the crime committed, and we have three suspects, all hawks capable of doing the deed. Here's some photos of a Cooper's hawk on my neighbor's car roof last summer:

Most hawks pluck like crazy after a bird kill. It wasn't long before there were feathers all over the roof of the car. These are light, downy feathers covering the breast region. It almost looks like a pillow exploded. I see this all the time with the hawk homicides in my yard....

AA, your photo shows a lot of primary and secondary feathers which would seem to indicate a lot of wing flapping and a struggle. I honestly think a domestic cat out wandering around did the deed.

Don

 

[Black Adder]

We aren’t as big a threat to wildlife as some would have us believe.

Well, we are when it come to habitat destruction, Scarry Knight. I do think we need to acknowledge that a lot of animals are not given enough credit for how adaptable they really are.

Don

 

[Ad Astra]

The feather remains are not from a mourning dove. I was referring to the common pigeon you see in the cities and huddled under bridge girders. Some folks call them feathered rats!

I took another look at the crime scene photo. If you all don't mind another episode of "Law and Order: Avian Criminal Unit".......

You didn't see the crime committed, and we have three suspects, all hawks capable of doing the deed. Here's some photos of a Cooper's hawk on my neighbor's car roof last summer:

View attachment 1058316
View attachment 1058317
View attachment 1058319

Most hawks pluck like crazy after a bird kill. It wasn't long before there were feathers all over the roof of the car. These are light, downy feathers covering the breast region. It almost looks like a pillow exploded. I see this all the time with the hawk homicides in my yard....

AA, your photo shows a lot of primary and secondary feathers which would seem to indicate a lot of wing flapping and a struggle. I honestly think a domestic cat out wandering around did the deed.

Don

Awesome shots! Thanks.

Cats outside don't last long here before their name is on the telephone pole ... "Have You Seen Boots?" We have coyote packs ... I despise them, they almost got a cat we had a few years ago.

I'll investigate tomorrow, rained all day. I do watch that feeder, never seen a pigeon. Agree they don't look like dove ...


AA

 

[ajkel64]

It’s funny how things work out. I was hanging my washing out this afternoon and just happen to notice a bird flying around the neighbourhood. It was more hovering than anything. It finished up flying over my backyard and it was a hawk of some kind. I had no phone or any camera on me to take a photo which I was disappointed about. It was strange having mentioned it here and then seeing one the very next day.

 

[Bakker1964]

Great Horned, Screech, Saw Whet, Barn, even a Snowy, Golden Eagle, herons and cranes, cormorant. Kestrels, Peregrines, Cooper’s, Red-Tails, all seen in the suburban sprawl of and around Chicago. Including the loop and lakefront, Deer, fox, coyote in our own lawns. We aren’t as big a threat to wildlife as some would have us believe.

No Goldens here in Bramalea, outside Toronto, but we did see a Snowy when I was a kid. Great Blue Herons, and the owls mentioned are all here too, and I forgot foxes in my list above. You are correct when you say we get ignored by most of these animals. Thank God, too, because I love seeing them around.

 

[Leo501]

This one was unsuccessful as it flew into the shrub 3 times in an attempt to get a sparrow that was in there for cover. Through the glass of the kitchen door.

 

[Schnitzel52]

I enjoy maintaining a birdfeeder. There's good karma in feeding the hungry, especially in winter.

To be clear, I don't tolerate rodents - it's one of those feeder that slides down to keep House-Eaters (squirrels) from feeding. Anyways.

Getting lots of desirable birds- cardinals, etc. and I feel for the mourning doves - too fat to land, so they clean up what falls.

Added safflower seed last week and there's been an explosion in feeding - as you'll see.

Looks like the Circle of Life took place yesterday while I was at work ...

Unsure who got killed. No corpse to be found!

But I have identified a suspect:

Looked like Mutual of Omaha Wild Kingdom! The hawk is back!

I guess "bird feeder" can also mean, "bird-feeder for predators."

Maybe not surprisingly, no takers this morning at breakfast ... they probably think I set them up!


AA

It’s like that in our front yard.
We’re three bunnies fewer this month. There is a Great Horned Owl, a pair of Coopers Hawks, and a Falcon that keep the population down.
On the bright side there are Goldfinches in our neighborhood.

 

[Ad Astra]

On rare occasions, you cans see that hawk whipping through our backyard, and it's like a fighter plane ...

I've got three birdfeeders now. They just gotta take their chances.

AA