Sharp-shinned Hawk w/ prey

15 years ago

I had a Sharp-shinned Hawk catch a very sick female House Finch in the yard last weekend. The hawk landed on the fence, and this House Finch was about 10 feet away on a lower side slat of the fence. The hawk kept looking in the direction of the finch and finally flew at it. There essentially wasn't even a chase. The hawk landed right next to a window which allowed me to get some decent photos.

Here is a front view, you can see the tail of the House Finch sticking up from the grass.

Side view showing the white spots on the back and wings. This is a mature sharpy, unusual for me in my yard since I usually get first or second year birds wintering here.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (8)

terrene
15 years ago
Cool pics! How did you get both the front and side? Did the hawk move?

I wonder if the hawk would get the germs from the sick HOFI?
birding_nut
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks, Terrene. The hawk shifted position to face an oncoming and dive-bombing American Kestrel..hence the reason the Sharpy looks all puffed up.

Most raptors pick off the sick or otherwise slow prey. They don't seem to get most of the diseases that normally affect their prey.

BN
Related Discussions
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Q
Comments (6)
There are three things I worry about with cats (all of which may be at least partially unfounded). One is that the cat would kill a lot of birds. I hear people talking about this a lot, but am unsure exactly how much of a problem it would be. Another is that the cat might not really do the job. I've heard that some cats are good at getting rid of rodents and others just have no interest. I'd hate to have one make friends with my voles. The last is that the cat would damage things itself. I know other gardens have cats that don't seem to do much damage, but I've seen cats dig up plants, heard about cats killing grass and plants with urine, and seen them leave poop surprises in my flower beds. It's not a good feeling when you realize the dirt clod you just broke up was a little more than dirt.
...See More
Well, it's finally happened, Hawk ate one of the birds
Q
Comments (2)
Hi Paul, Don't know if you have ever looked @ whatbird.com. I use it sometimes as a place to help with identification. Towards the bottom of the home page, in the middle, there is an option for "in 3 clicks using search". This allows for all sorts of search parameters....where you are located, size of bird, color, patterns, etc. I really like the process of elimination that it provides. I will say though, the pictures aren't always the best, but you can always get some names and then search images elsewhere to help with I.D. You might check it out to see if that helps! Other than that, I can't offer anything.....I have a difficult time I.D.ing (is that a word?)hawks. Good luck.
...See More
Hawk Terrorizing Neighborhood
Q
Comments (2)
I have something new here that's unusual. I just did my final inspection for the evening and 4/5 babies were gaping. The fifth I thought was dead. It's in the nest with its head foreward and its feet pointing upward. I looked and it is still breathing. The parents have fed well today but these babies are so hungry! I'm wondering if maybe it has been poorly fed compared to the others. I have some experience w/ this. If a nestling is too weak it will gape w/o being able to cheep. If it's near dead it won't be able to gape or vocalize. Just concerning. Hope he's okay!
...See More
Hawk Opinion Please
Q
Comments (10)
I was going to say Chicken Hawk, but I see that it's another name for Coopers Hawk. A neighbor of mine has talked about them, they nest in our mature Maples and Elms on our street. I had never actually seen one (or paid attention) until recently when he flew into my yard (I have feeders as of this year) after another bird, apparently attempting to reach the bird hidden in my new arborvitae. By the time I got to the back door (to scare him off), he was gone. My neighbor had to move his feeder, as the Hawks nest was situated just above the roofline, with a perfect view of the feeder. I have enough trees in my yard to hopefully create a safe haven for the smaller birds during the warmer months, at least when there's foliage on the trees. Interesting looking birds, and I was surprised at how large they are. My feeders haven't been touched in a couple of weeks (I'm in an urban location).
...See More
kendra2003
15 years ago
That is a fantastic photo. You can see every feather, and the colors are so intense.
birding_nut
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks, Kendra. I am please the way the images turned out considering I took them through a less than clean window.

BN
compost_hugger_nancy
15 years ago
Wow! Wonderful photos.
rachel_frome_ky
15 years ago
Great shots!!!
gldno1
15 years ago
Just a stunning shot! I can count the feathers. It is a sad, but true picture of nature working.
Have you told us before what camera you are using...it must be a good one.

glenda
birding_nut
Original Author
15 years ago
I use an old Olympus C-740 Ultrazoom. I am impressed with how well it takes pictures, considering I always have it set to auto everything. I am not a photography wiz by any means, and this camera is easy to use and takes good pictures. I say it is old, probably 5 years now we have had it....old as digital cameras go.

Thanks everyone for the nice comments.

BN

Sharp-shinned Hawk w/ prey

Comments (8)

terrene

birding_nut
Original Author

Related Discussions

kendra2003

birding_nut
Original Author

compost_hugger_nancy

rachel_frome_ky

gldno1

birding_nut
Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

Sharp-shinned Hawk w/ prey

Comments (8)

terrene

birding_nutOriginal Author

Related Discussions

kendra2003

birding_nutOriginal Author

compost_hugger_nancy

rachel_frome_ky

gldno1

birding_nutOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

birding_nut
Original Author

birding_nut
Original Author

birding_nut
Original Author