A Cooper's Hawk has been visiting my backyard, lurking in the trees just above the birdfeeders. Here is a shot of it somewhat blurred by the windowscreen, but I think it still captures the bird's beauty and menace:
As the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's webpage puts it, this bird is "looking for an easy meal (but not one of sunflower seeds)." Judging by the amount of House Finch and dove feathers I've found on the ground, it's been eating well.
These Lesser Goldfinches, however, seemed unconcerned-- perhaps they realize that they are small and speedy enough to escape the hawk, if they get its attention at all:
A squirrel had been hanging around going yap-yap-grumble at the hawk-- then this happened:
Don't worry, the hawk didn't go after the squirrel.
As an aside, I found an interesting statement on Wikipedia's page about the Cooper's Hawk: "They may pursue prey on the ground by half running and half flying." How dinosaurian!
As the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's webpage puts it, this bird is "looking for an easy meal (but not one of sunflower seeds)." Judging by the amount of House Finch and dove feathers I've found on the ground, it's been eating well.
These Lesser Goldfinches, however, seemed unconcerned-- perhaps they realize that they are small and speedy enough to escape the hawk, if they get its attention at all:
A squirrel had been hanging around going yap-yap-grumble at the hawk-- then this happened:
As an aside, I found an interesting statement on Wikipedia's page about the Cooper's Hawk: "They may pursue prey on the ground by half running and half flying." How dinosaurian!
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