Y'all, if I never again see the puffed-up head of a venomous snake staring at me from a feathered fowl lying dead on the ground, that will be OK with me. You just don't know how close I came to that bird...and was bending over and reaching down to pick it up to dispose of it....before I saw the snake! I learned a lesson that is a good one for anyone out in a rural area.....don't attempt to dispose of a wild critter until you make sure it isn't harboring another wild thing. I also learned long ago that it is better to whip out the cell phone and call someone nearby to either come shoot the thing, or to at least stand and watch it for me while I go for a gun, because if you go inside to get the gun, that snake is going to disappear and you'll have to worry about it popping up and getting a pet or person some other day. I felt kind of bad for both of them.....the snake, after all, was only defending itself, and the hawk was just looking for a meal. None of our neighbors have ever seen a snake get a hawk, although plenty have seen hawks scoop down and pick up snakes. Around here, if you are firing a shotgun, you have to let everyone around you know why so they won't be worried that you are "in trouble" and need help. All our neighbors said they hadn't thought the snakes were up yet, so appreciated the warning....especially those with grandchildren or great-grandchildren visiting for spring break. Randy, I am starting to wonder myself. It is so darn warm here and all the critters are out and about--especially the frogs, toads and grasshoppers. My guineas are wearing themselves out chasing grasshoppers all day. They "collapse" on the lawn at 3 or 4 p.m. every day, fat and full of hoppers, and too tired to move. If the ten-day forecast looks good on Sunday, I may start planting warm-season crops, including tomatoes. Our air temps and soil temps are great here right now. I think it could be that this is our "one year in ten" that the weather cuts us a break! It is cool, cloudy and overcast here today, although those conditions are aggravated by the extreme smoke in the air. (County commissioners lifted the burn ban and everyone is burning brush piles, field stubble, etc. and our air is positively filthy with smoke and ash.) We're supposed to get rain, but it seems to be staying east of us. Dawn

I've seen on other threads that some people have suggested to stop feeding the other birds and other little critters in the area and the hawks will move as the others move off due to lack of food. We don't feed the local wildlife, of which there is usually very little. Is there something that will just annoy the hawks into wanting to relocate? We're not, by bird standards, terribly far from the Montezuma Wildlife Refuge, 20 miles or so. And the Adirondacks are only 150 miles away. Could we gently nudge them in that direction? Another thing, one of my co-workers thought the bird still might be migrating north, that this is just a stop over on its way home. Is this likely in Upstate New York this time of year (it's still very cold, we had snow last night), or is the bird here to stay? Most of my neighbors in the eight square blocks on this side of town also have small dogs, so we are all concerned. We are in hope that the big birds in question haven't found a new home here with our pets on the menu.

Hawks have full color vision, but they are attracted by movement, not color. Keep the dog inside, or have a covered dog run for her. At 12 pounds, the dog is too heavy for a hawk to lift, but they will kill small animals too heavy to lift and eat them on the ground. Coyotes would be a larger danger to her, and they don't care about color.

If you have seen or heard of raptors in your new area, then I would heed the caution mentioned by previous posts and be careful. As a small animal veterinarian, I see the results of raptor attacks occasionally. The worst seem to occur at night, likely from Great Horned Owls. I say likely, because most owners do not see the attack, even though they may be nearby when it occurs. The owl swoops in, tries to take down the small dog, and then is either successful or not. The resulting talon injuries can be significant, but in a dog the size of yours, are usually not fatal. I have heard of fatal attacks of very tiny dogs by Bald Eagles, either from attack or from being carried off. We, too, see many serious attacks by coyotes and wolves, which sound like they would be less of a risk in your new neighborhood. Best advice is to stay with your pets when outside at night, and consider a good yard light to help discourage sneak attacks.