They nest in the mature elms and maples on our street in front of our house. I feed my birds in my back yard where the hawks can't view them from the mature trees. A neighbor nearby set up a feeder in the middle of his yard, but soon noticed that the hawks would swoop in and make a meal out of them as they had a clear view from their nesting site. So he strategically moved his feeder location out of their view. I've landscaped my back yard to give birds various shrubs and trees, including evergreens, for shelter and protection from predators. When I see the Coopers Hawk (or chicken hawk as my neighbor calls them) exploring my back yard, I chase him away.

We have had a pair of Cooper's Hawks nesting in our neighborhood for the past two years. I like watching the hawks, and don't want to harm them in any way, but they have completely driven off (or eaten!) all our songbirds. Two weeks ago, we had scores of sparrows, chickadees, and juncos, as well as 3 pairs of cardinals at our feeder. There were so many birds that they were waiting on the railing adjacent to the feeder for their turn -- and we have a large feeder -- 12 cup capacity with at least a dozen feeding ports. We were refilling the feeder every day or every other day. Five days ago, the songbirds just disappeared overnight -- went from frequent refilling of feeder to no activity at all for last four days. This morning, we saw the Coopers Hawks for the first time this season, although they may have been in the area for a time. I can't believe they could have devoured all the songbirds, but they've surely intimidated them to the point where the seed level in our feeder has remained unchanged for four days. I was surprised when the hawks first showed up, as I really didn't think they'd nest in town. (We live in residential neighborhood of medium-sized lots in a relatively small town.) Our neighborhood has the usual amount of "commotion" that goes on in a neighborhood with young families, working couples, and retirees -- vehicle noise of frequent comings and goings, usual noise made by kids and pets (mostly dogs), and seasonal power equipment (mowers, snowblowers). While we don't live in an unusually noisy area, it's by no means quiet either, and the noise level doesn't seem to deter the hawks one bit. Last summer, I noticed that I didn't see or hear the hawks for a few days when a flight of crows stopped in our area for a day or two. We also have at least one owl (not sure what kind, but I suspect great horned owl by its calls), which we were hearing nightly for most of the winter, although I haven't heard the nightly hoots for a few days. Although I have no great love for crows, I'd like to see a few more around, as they seem to keep the hawks at bay. What else can we do to encourage the hawks to "move along" and leave our songbirds alone? As I said, I have no desire to harm the hawks in any way; I'd just like to see them relocate.

One dog dies last year and I believe the other did this year. Maybe she just got tired of them and gave them up. It has been quite quiet around here, neighbors have commented on it. As for moving should she replace them, I inherited the house I grew up in. My mother designed it, my father built it. There are over 400 specific plants in the gardens and there is just too much sentimentality involved, not to mention that I am a bit old to be relocating. For now, her hedges have thickened and grown tall enough that all anyone sees is a nice green backdrop for my gardens. You would not even know there was a house in there. It is very unfortunate because the house has an excellent picture window that used to overlook the valley. Last summer, in the only patch of sun filled area in her yard, she had a lawn chair out and was sunning herself. I could only see her through a bathroom window and she looked like the proverbial beached whale. I pulled the curtains to stop from laughing. The dogs are just a memory now....

These guys are very sneaky in my yard. The only time I see them is when they are leaving one of my trees. I have yet to spot one while it`s perched in my trees. Very nice photo!