Had an interloper at the back yard bird feeder.

[EQGuy]

I was sitting in my back yard this morning with my cat. The neighbors bottle brush plant was full of birds waiting for us to leave so they could have their breakfast. All of a sudden the alarm went out as a small hawk landed in the bottle brush. Man they all started chattering after that, scolding the hawk. The hawk later flew over to the phone lines and perched there for a while. I looked at him and noticed that there were four hummingbirds perched on the power lines above him keeping a close watch over him. Such is the cycle of life. The hawk left hungry and the birds got to eat.

 

[S&WIowegan]

I have a real big barred owl that lives nearby. He occasionally tries to swoop into the bird feeding area on my back deck and score a meal. He usually misses but then likes to sit around just to annoy them all. His problem seems to be the prey see his shadow coming. He/she really likes the squirrels that hang out here. Sometimes he finds one that recently passed away but is still warm.

 

[Bugkiller99]

I was sitting in my back yard this morning with my cat. The neighbors bottle brush plant was full of birds waiting for us to leave so they could have their breakfast. All of a sudden the alarm went out as a small hawk landed in the bottle brush. Man they all started chattering after that, scolding the hawk. The hawk later flew over to the phone lines and perched there for a while. I looked at him and noticed that there were four hummingbirds perched on the power lines above him keeping a close watch over him. Such is the cycle of life. The hawk left hungry and the birds got to eat.

Pictures! Gotta have 'em! Otherwise, it didn't happen.

 

[woodsltc]

Sometimes he finds one that recently passed away but is still warm.

Yep......same thing happens in my backyard.

Don

 

[shouldazagged]

We have peregrines nesting on one of the Ohio River bridges and one or two downtown buildings. Occasionally they hunt this far out, but mostly we get red-tail hawks.

Unfortunately they haven't thinned out our squirrels much. The grounds have several big red oak trees and some huge black maples, ergo lots of bushytails. We also have folks here who feed the little gangsters.

I like squirrels in the wild, and love the meat, but these come around to your apartment and say, "Nice place youse got here. Be a shame if anything...happened to it."

 

[S&WIowegan]

Yes, we have peregrines in downtown Des Moines and they are supposed to eat the pigeons which they do. Unfortunately, there are way more pigeons than falcons. I saw a peregrine hit a pigeon outside my window on the 26th floor....quite a sight!

 

[Abbynormal]

I was at a downtown McD's about 20 years ago waiting in the drive thru lane. I was watching the flock of pigeons scavenging the lot, when there was a blur and a bunch of gray/white feathers floating about.

I looked out the side window and saw a Peregrine flapping holding the pigeon in its talons.

 

[EQGuy]

Pictures! Gotta have 'em! Otherwise, it didn't happen.

I wish I had a camera but did not. It would have been a Kodak moment. It was pretty amusing watching the hummingbirds keeping an eye on him though.

 

[EQGuy]

A couple of years ago I was motoring out to the levee to go duck hunting. There was a large raft of Coots in front of me. They started swimming away when all of a sudden there was pandemonium with Coots going every which way. Then I saw the Falcon swoop down but he was not successful that time.

 

[yaktamer]

A couple of years ago I was motoring out to the levee to go duck hunting. There was a large raft of Coots in front of me. They started swimming away when all of a sudden there was pandemonium with Coots going every which way. Then I saw the Falcon swoop down but he was not successful that time.

Within weeks, Fall will be upon us. Soon there will be a lot of coots in front of me, too. In the left lane. Doing 35. With the turn signal on. For miles.

 

[eyegots2no]

Still warm...A?

 

[S42N8]

Within weeks, Fall will be upon us. Soon there will be a lot of coots in front of me, too. In the left lane. Doing 35. With the turn signal on. For miles.

Yeah, but at least yours are migratory. The ones here never leave... well, they do, but there's a reason why FL is referred to as Heaven's waiting room. :O

OTOH, we've cornered the market on late 80s-early 90s Buicks, some of which still have working turn signals.

 

[finesse_r]

A large owl can decimate the squirrel and rabbit population of an area.