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Sharp-Shinned Hawk - (Accipiter
striatus)
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March
21,2009 - The sharp-shinned hawk has been making
an appearance daily between 4 and 5 PM. The
birds all take off at once and the squirrels
cling motionless to tree trunks and stumps. With
an almost constant bird noise day, it becomes so
quiet it is absolutely eerie. We run for the
camera and scan the skies ourselves. More often
than not, the hawk leaves for a better, less
alert hunting ground. |
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December
21, 2008 - The first day of winter and we have a
snow accumulation of 15 inches from last Friday
through today on Sunday (and still
counting-maybe 3 more inches). The birds
have been frantically feeding, practically
nonstop. They waited impatiently whenever we
trudged to the bird food shed. Some would sit in
the trees scolding and imploring us to hurry and
fill those feeders. Others boldly swooped
past us seeking the areas that contained their
favorite treats.
We spent most of the day
taking photos of all the activities against the
background of white drifts and the ever-present
falling snow. Around 5 o'clock (sunset was at
4:25) yet another bird hit the side storm door.
I looked up from my spot near the window and saw
a hawk sitting in the maple tree. I grabbed the
camera but fully expected that there wouldn't be
enough light out for the lens to focus (as
usual). I snapped away anyway. This was an
adult. He sat on his branch, wiped the
snow off his beak, and soon decided our little
birds weren't worth the aggravation. Off he flew
into the rapidly darkening sky. All the busy
song birds (including the one who hit the door,
flew back in, grabbed a last snack and called it
a night. |
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| December 14, 2008 - For three
days now we have been watching a juvenile sharp
shined hawk trying to outsmart a songbird.
He has swooped and chased any number of
birds at our feeders. In warmer weather, the
birds will scatter at the first sign of a hawk
and stay away from the open areas for a while.
Now that snow and ice cover the ground and the
temperature has been below freezing, the little
birds have no time to waste. They must
continue eating to create enough body heat to
survive. And so, they fly right back to the
feeders after the hawk's many unsuccessful fly-throughs.
He was often sitting quietly above
them on a tree branch, just watching, and
probably wondering why this wasn't as easy as it
looked. |
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Oddly enough, for two days,
all the damage the hawk did to the little guys
was scare them enough to fly into the side
windows and storm door. Even when the birds were
on the ground, too stunned to move, the
hawk would be back on a tree branch, trying to
recover from his own encounter with the storm
door.
Today he
started early for him, 8 in the morning.
He appeared to be just as clumsy a
hunter as ever. Around 2 this afternoon
we heard two loud thumps and the hawk
flew into the back tree line with
dinner. It happened very fast, but
it seemed that a goldfinch flew into the
window, landed on the porch with the
hawk following the same path.
However, the young hawk recovered faster
than the prey and he finally carried his
meal home. It became rather calm
and quiet then and the small birds
continued trying to empty our feeders
until dusk.
The Hawk did present us with
more photo time than his parents ever did.
Thanks, Junior!
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Note: The juvenile sharp-shinned
hawk has a very different appearance
than the adults.
| Juvenile: |
Adult: |
- Brown back white spots
and streaks
- Eyes yellow
- Chest heavy brown
streaks
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- Gray back
- Eyes red
- Chest reddish brown bars
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| The adults, while very swift and
confident, do not always capture the
prey either. |
| The food folk, while using fine
camera equipment , also do not always
capture the photo either. |
| Just like the persistent hawks, we
keep trying. |
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| The sharp-shinned
hawk is often seen gliding and circling, riding
the warm air currents high overhead. He seems
to be at leisure and just going with the flow.
He might fool the casual human observer, but
this guy is hunting a dinner of unwary song
bird. |
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The local yard birds may
have guards posted on predator watch to sound
their loud alarm.. All birds in the area become
part of the rapid, panic retreat.
If the hawk is sighted too
close to the nests or just plotting his attack
from a perch, some of the threatened birds may
try mobbing. Very, loud continuous bird
calls, dive-bombing and surrounding this
predator can be done by one or more of a bird
species or by a cooperative attack of
several species. The purpose of this
behavior is to encourage this predator to seek
another hunting area. The element of surprise,
so important to the hawk's successful attack, is
no longer available for the present- maybe he'll
just move on down the road for a while.
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Size:
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Length: 10-14 in
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Weight: 5 oz |
Wingspan: 20-28 in |
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ID:
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Male: Smallest hawk; gray back and
head; underparts white with reddish
brown bars across chest and belly and
finely streaked throat; wings short and
rounded; slim tail with 3 or 4 narrow,
black crossbars; upperparts of tail
gray, the square tip edged in white and
slightly notched; head and neck
proportionately small for long, slender
body; eyes red; short, dark hooked upper
bill and small lower bill used to tear
prey; slim, yellow legs (named for its
thin raised ridge on the tarsus
bone-close to the shin bone); feet have
strong toes with very sharp talons for
gripping and killing prey
Female:Similar to male, but much larger
(about one-third again) and faster
flyer; very short-tempered (even male is
cautious around her-no sneaking up and
surprising her)
Juvenile:Brown upperparts; underparts
white with heavy brown streaks; yellow
eyes
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Habitat:
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Mixed deciduous and conifer woods and
woodlots; comes to feeders for birds
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Diet:
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Mostly small, song birds, but also
small mammals, reptiles and large
insects; may hunt from concealed brush
or buildings to snag birds mid-air or
off feeder perches; may flush prey by
flying closely over hiding places in
bushes and treetops; or could glide
slowly on air currents, plummet in a
sudden, steep dive with wings folded
(known as a stoop), swing feet forward
and catch the surprised prey; after
capturing prey with feet, the long legs
are extended to protect the hawk's head
and eyes; the small bird is repeatedly
clawed until struggling stops; beak is
used for plucking and eating the dead
prey; small, rounded wings, flight
patterns of short flaps then long
glides, and rudder-like tails allow for
successful, fast speed chases through
woodland areas
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Family Behavior:
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Mating Habits: Monogamous and
solitary nester; 1 brood per year
Local Breeding Period: Mid-April
Nests:platform of sticks and twigs
lined with grass and evergreen needles;
built by female; placed in coniferous
trees against trunk
Eggs:4-5 white with brown blotches
(mostly on half the egg); lays one egg
every other day which leads to
asynchronous hatching (hatching
occurring over several days creating
different size young); female incubates
30-35 days(male guards the nest while
female eats food he has brought her)
Nestlings: Born semi-altricial
(down-covered, eyes open, able to hold
head up) and stay in nest 21-28 days;
fed by both parents (female feeds meat
that male hunts and brings to nest);
young practice flying and return to nest
to be fed by parents for another three
and a half weeks
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Social Activities:
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Migrates in large numbers and flies
along mountain ridges and coastlines;
most often seen during migration
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Range:
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From tree limit in Canada to US gulf
states; migrates south out of Canada
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Vocalization:
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High, rapid series of kek, kek, kek
or kik, kik, kik
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| Lifespan: |
At least 10 years |
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