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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.
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.
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.
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!
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. |
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.
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
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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