I don't think your area is too open for song birds. How long have you been feeding in that location? Deep snow cover will push birds south, even if they winter in your area. Your hawk doesn't sound like an Accitper, the lean Hawks that routinely attack feeders. In my experience, Accipters rarely perch in the open, like on a barn for more than a brief amount of time. They are usually inside the tree canopy. Killing a weasel also suggests its more likely a Buteo Hawk, the big stocky hawks that mainly feed on rodents. Buteos are usually on open perches, along the higways, on telephone poles, on buildings, etc. Accipters usually need the element of surprise to catch a healthy adult bird. In the summer time, adult birds will usually mob them and pester then until they leave the area. This time of year, all the song birds are adults and wise. Accipters usually rely on the stealth, below the horizon attack this time of year. They fly really close to the ground and charge into areas they anticipate birds to be and grab any bird that doenst flush in time. I've seen them make attacks on my feeder when its empty. They build up speed and come around the corner the house ambush the feeder. They will make a J turn around the feeder pole and almost touch the ground (right where the Doves would normally be). They do this even without any birds present. Even using this strategy, I've seen doves escape, usually losing a few feathers. Being out in the open makes its hard for the Hawk to get the element of surprise with lots of eyes watching and no terrian to take advantage of. Now, in the summer time with fledgings everywhere, Accipters can catch them without the element of surprise. If you get alot of accipter attacks, you can try a decoy. Since the hawk usually goes for the last bird to move when attacking. Purple Martin landlords use these to reduce the chances for success. But I don't think your lack of birds is related to the hawk. I've seen our birds spot an accipter 200 yards away and freeze. A Buteo hawk could be perched 50 yards away and they would be indifferent to it, except when nesting.

Hey Dave- I grew up in Oakhurst and actually went to kindergarten at the Methodist Church. I was up and down Monmouth Rd. at least 6 times today and once I actually glanced up at the steeple remembering the day the put it up!! Very spooky!!! I always am amazed at the amount of birds in our area also. I now am in Shark River Hills (which kind of reminds me of Oakhurst) and I have quite the bird sanctuary in my backyard. I unfortunately do not have an awesome camera, as you do. I love raptors. I'm always driving on Rt. 18 looking at them soaring above-I have a convertible. I know...doesn't sound too safe!! There are many hawks in the area of Deal Rd.- just west of Logan. I guess with Palaia Park (Deal Test Site to me), there is plenty of room to nest. Keep posting those pics and hopefully you have some good painkillers for that tooth!!

NJTea: I live in zone 7 Maryland, and we haven't had any great amount of snow here, this Winter. Nevertheless, from my experience, just about any raptor will eat roadkill when hungry--at any time of year. Fresh killed roadkill is just an easy meal. To cite a few observances of mine: Traveling from Los Angeles to San Diego in the wee hours of the morning (about 30 years ago), in the middle of Summer, I rounded a bend on the freeway approaching San Diego, just after daybreak, and almost hit a Golden Eagle as it flew off a squashed Jackrabbit in the middle of a southbound lane. (I might also add that 30 minutes prior, I had to brake for about 6 Mexican (obviously illegal) aliens running across the freeway in front of me, right before dawn--not an uncommon sight in that area, in those days.) A few years ago, on a country road in Virginia in early Spring, I noticed in a powerline right-of-way, about 30 yards from the road, a Buzzard (Turkey Vulture) eating on a dead Cottontail Rabbit, while a Red Tail Hawk and a Crow, waited no more than 15-20 feet away, for their turn. I have no idea if the Hawk had killed the rabbit there, or it was struck by a car on the road and dragged itself there. It was the most unusual sight--for me--as I had never seen 3 different predatory birds (albeit, one, a scavenger) at a single rabbit carcass, in my life. (The following not about road-kill, but about gun-kill): A farmer friend in Virginia has a dove-hunt at his farm each year, on the first day of Dove season (which I believe is September 1), and invites about 40 of his friends to participate. Wheat or oats or rye, etc., are bush-hogged (cut) a week before the season, and the grain scattered, usually where power lines cross the field (a natural flyway for doves). Doves come to this scattered grain, and are shot by camouflaged hunters situated around the edges of the fields. Though the hunters attempt to find all the birds they shoot (they cook and eat the breasts), they invariably don't find them all. I have seen hawks--varying in size from Kestrals (though usually larger) to Red Tails--hovering, then landing on, or near the dead doves, and eating them--many times while the hunters are still shooting. As dangerous a situation as it is for them, It's just too easy a meal to pass up. I could quote any number of other examples of raptors on road-or-otherwise-killed animals; but I must say that I don't believe I have seen one on an animal as large as a deer (except Turkey Vultures). That was a nice sighting, Richard (and others, who have seen such things). As was mentioned, hunger is responsible for strange occurrences.

You can't disturb a nest once it has eggs in it. If you at all prevent a hawk from raising it's young, it's called a 'take'. The hawk may or may not abandon the nest and the young may or may not get the food they need to grow and if any of the disturbance is your doing, US Fish & Wildlife will be secretly filming you and trying to build a case. Many people get on a 'witch hunt' over hawks and 'their rights'. It's a small minded neighborhood thing because many view the hawks now as cool thanks to nest cams. My advice is to remove any tall trees that would be an ideal nesting site if budget allows, or make them unappealing before nesting season by paying a tree climber to add a fake racoon or fake owls that move, or other bright, big objects that move such as huge balloons with eyes, large shiny pinwheels with tape that flashes in the breeze. Add several so as to overwhelm the hawk as it first approaches it's old nesting area. It may not stop the hawk from coming to the area but may pursuade it to nest elsewhere. Just make sure that the type of hawk you're trying to encourage to move isn't considered endangered in your area. Your local game commission may have that information. A pic provided to them will be helpful. I know red shouldered hawks are becoming more scarce due to red tail hawks taking over good hunting and nesting grounds. Just check with your local authorities before taking any action.