immature Hawk...should I feed him?

14 years ago

This immature Hawk (not sure what kind it is, I think a Red Shoulder) has been attempting to capture one of the many small birds that frequent our feeders. But to no avail. Today, in the snow and cold, he sat there and fluttered his wings, crying. It was the most heart-wrenching, pathetic thing I have ever seen. Now, I know the balance of Nature can be cruel, but I can't help to feel I should help the poor thing. Should I attempt to feed him? He's been visiting our deck for several days. What would be the best way to feed him? What should I give him?

Here is a link that might be useful: My Flickr page.

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Comments (8)

whatsthepoint
14 years ago
I don't have a clue but wanted to tell you that's a great picture.
marricgardens
14 years ago
That's a great shot! I don't know if my advice will make sense or not but here goes. The thing to be concerned about would be that if you feed him, he will become dependant on you for food and then lose his instinct to hunt. Why not leave a bit out in the morning and then if he gets hungry for more later in the day he will have to hunt for it?
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paulsiu
14 years ago
You know, no one really feed these type of birds. In zoo, I often find them with insects and mice. A bowl of dead mice is probably icky. A dish of insects may work better but other birds will get it first.

If you have a lot of junk birds like house sparrows, you can toss stuff like bread on the ground somewhere out in the open so that they become easier targets :-)

Check with the wildlife center in the area, they may have advice.

Paul
jiggreen
14 years ago
I don't know much about hawks, but I know they are opportunistic and don't always rely on live catches for their meals...I always see them swooping in on road kill. Perhaps you might try putting a small bit of ground beef out.....but maybe not on the deck itself, possibly somewhere further out in the yard....that way (hopefully) the hawk doesn't associate you with his "find".

I know a lot of people won't agree, and that nature should be survival of the fittest...but maybe this hawk just needs a little bit of help to get through. I know I would have a hard time sitting back and watching it suffer.
Elly_NJ
14 years ago
It's an immature Cooper's hawk, and if it's crying, she's being a baby.

She should get better at catching birds.

Don't feed her, unless you have a dead songbird to leave her...(joking)
chris8796
14 years ago
I would agree that it is an immature Coopers hawk. I wouldn't bother to feed it. It will figure out how to hunt, its just a matter of working out the timing. I have an immature Coopers Hawk working my feeder lately and he misses more than he gets them.
chickadeemelrose
14 years ago
I have no idea what to feed your hawk - sorry - but I was wondering 1) how long he has been there, trying to catch birds at the feeder, - maybe it's not as dire a situation as the hawk makes it sound; and 2) whether you might have a raptor rehab center not far away, in the event the hawk does not leave and does not eat. They could at least give you some advice. If there is no such center, I bet that your fish and wildlife service can help.

I sympathize with your wanting to help this bird. Good luck with this -
mountain_duck
Original Author
14 years ago
Thank you all for the great advice. The photos were taken by my wife, I'll tell her you like them.
A Cooper's Hawk... thanks for the ID.
We stick our Christmas tree in the snow by the deck. Use it for the birds. I put a few strips of chicken on it, maybe he / she will find it. I don't plan on doing it all the time.
And yes, she was a big baby. That's what got to us.
Funny, as soon as she learns to hunt, we'll start feeling sorry for the juncos and doves that get eaten.

immature Hawk...should I feed him?

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immature Hawk...should I feed him?

Comments (8)

whatsthepoint

marricgardens

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paulsiu

jiggreen

Elly_NJ

chris8796

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mountain_duckOriginal Author

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mountain_duck
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