My wife and I witnessed a shocking thing yesterday

[reddogge]

Sometime Sunday afternoon I watched a robin sitting outside my laundry room window and assumed it was sunning itself on one of our first nice days this winter. Right before dark I saw the same robin sitting there and my wife said she saw it earlier and it was walking around pecking at the ground. A little unusual but I thought it may be sick.

We both were looking at it not more than 4' from us and a gray blur came from the right and covered it up and took off with the robin in it's talons. It appeared to be a Northern Harrier and it got its evening meal right in front of us.

It happened so suddenly we were stunned and a little sad the poor robin met its demise like that but perhaps it was sick and it wouldn't have lived anyway. At least the harrier had a good meal at dusk.

 

[zzzippper]

I think that would have been awesome to see. It is nature, the circle of life. You didn't feel bad for the worms the robin was eating, did you?

 

[M29since14]

I have seen similar with (believe it or not) pigeons and some of the bigger hawks, probably red-tails. In one extraordinary case, to me anyway, it involved a hawk flying along beside me while I was driving at about 30 MPH, I suppose. I noticed him in my peripheral vision just as we both headed toward an underpass maybe 75-100 yards away. The hawk was after one of the pigeons that hang out there. Before I had the sense to realize what was going on, we were at the underpass and the hawk was in control of the situation. At the last second the pigeons detected the threat - but it was too late for one of them. Quite an amazing thing.

Nature at work... some of it not always suitable for "Disney audiences."

 

[Sconnie]

I think that would have been awesome to see. It is nature, the circle of life.

Exactly what I was thinking. I love it when the hawks are working my area. I wish they would develop an appetite for squirrel and the Cooper's hawk really needs to perfect it's technique for going after sparrows. So cool to see.

 

[Terry]

I have watched Red Tail Hawks swoop down in my back yard and grab birds flying in mid air, catch squirrels and one flew about 6 feet over my Yorkie and I thought sure the hawk was going to grab my dog.

For the hawks, that's just daily survial.

 

[hoosierone]

My wife once saw a hawk grab a snake in our back yard. We lived in the country and the snake was a northern water snake.They have bad attitudes. Hawk took off with the snake in its talons.

 

[kozmic]

Nature is sometimes a bit tough to watch, but it's always fascinating.

We see that sort of thing fairly often. It's hard to watch and not to intervene when you can.

 

[walkin jack]

We have a big park right behind our house and there are several species of hawks and kites that keep an eye on our bird feeders. Never saw one take a robin though. They usually for for the very slow and very dumb morning doves and white wing doves. All the rest of the birds will fly away if a raptor bird comes into the area but the doves will often go right on eating like they are unaware or unconcerned about the presence of any danger.

 

[Cpo1944]

Since I have been keeping pet parrots for the last 20 years or so I have studied birds a lot , and what I have learned is, They do not show any symptoms when they are sick. A bird showing signs of distress or un-wellness would be snatched up by a predator very quickly. Your Robin was not acting normally, so it probably was sick- but it is real hard to tell. I lost a much loved and extremely well cared for-Parrot a few months ago and never even knew she was sick, just found her dead on the floor of her cage- for no apparent reason. At least the Harrier got a good meal.

 

[reddogge]

I was driving a company van on the interstate last year and a bald eagle swooped down in front of the van and I almost hit it. It pounced on some small critter in the median strip. The ultimate raptor. Mostly I see them eat fish.

 

[steveno]

https://www.youtube.com/embed/nA3LtXnNIto?feature=player_embedded


birds hunting for food

 

[Syspila]

Sounds more like a Sharp-shinned Hawk to me! Sharpies will grab a bird and then head up into the trees. Cooper's will do the same thing, yet I have seen them eat the prey bird right on the ground, tho they both don't read the same books we do!...Marsh Harriers usually stay out in open country.

 

[Brian41]

Driving down the expressway once in my company van I watched a hawk dive upon a pheasant and watched it's decent. I was cheering for the pheasant and at the last second it darted into the corn and safety.
I just happened to be at the right place at right time to witness it and it's stuck in my memory these 20 plus years.

 

[chaparrito]

Hawks are just out hunting and are cool to watch. Wolves are evil and must be eliminated.

 

[walter o]

Walking Jack it is MOURNING dove .I did not know that until my friend pointed it out to me . They have to be the dumbest bird, had one build a nest about 5 ft off the ground and would not move when anyone walked up to it. they also land on our feeder like something falling from the sky with a thump

 

[soFlaNative]

An osprey unloaded the remains of it's morning meal on my truck's windshield as I passed underneath it's perch on a streetlight. Completely blocked my view and the smell was one I could have done without.

Ain't nature grand?

 

[radar1972]

Last summer a cardinal got in our open garage and couldn't seem to find his way out. I picked up a broom and shooed him around a bit until he finally flew out.... flew under our car in the driveway, seemed like he was catching his breath after the ordeal in the garage. He then hopped out from under the car and.... BAM! A red-tailed hawk nailed him.

 

[Syspila]

They love racers and finding a RT nest there will be lots of different deceased snake species and parts under them on the tree limbs. I've done some work on both Raptors and Herps and have seen a lot of interesting things!

 

[reddogge]

One winter day I was treated to a sight. A small hawk scattered the song birds at the ground feeder and cornered one bird in the bushes surrounding it. They played cat and mouse in the bushes for quite a while until the hawk gave up and flew away. That bird was lucky.

 

[curt1950]

About 25 years ago we were bank fishing at a lake, a bald eagle picked up a mallard about 25 yards in front of us. It flew up on the side of the hill about 100 yards away and started eating. We could hear the crunching loud and clear.