Red Tailed Hawk Problem

Does anyone know a good method of scaring a Red Tailed Hawk away without also scaring the song birds away too? I have a problem hawk in my neighborhood that has ruined my birding. I'm also short quite a few birds and squirls. It's a large and very pretty bird, I just want him to hunt somewhere else.
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Kevin

Sounds like a great photo op. I had a sharp shinned hawk stalking my feeder for awhile. Birds left and so did the hawk. Birds are back now but haven't seen the hawk. Actually I sympathise with you but don't really know a solution--good luck.

Interesting side story about red tails. During a falconry performance at the Renaissance Fair near Atlanta a wild red tail took out the performing peregrine.
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Dave

Hi Kevin. How long has this been a problem?

I have had RT, RS and Coopers hawks stalking my backyard before, but generally, it doesn't last for more than a day or two and the small birds always return to my feeders.

I looked around on the web. Here's the best I could find:

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080411192819AAtFAAV

Good luck.
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AEH
http://aehass.zenfolio.com/
Question: What do you do all week?
Answer: Mon to Fri. Nothing, Sat & Sun I rest!

Thanks for the responses. This bird has been in my area for years. Normally he would hunt in my neighborhood once or twice a week. It was easy to tell when he was around because all the wildlife was no where to be found. But now this has become an everyday problem. I have had only one day in the past two weeks that I have seen my local birds.

My next door neighbor is a big bird lover. He has over the years built a large natural thicket for the birds to roost in. This thicket is about 30'x40' and over 30' high. Normally there are hundreds of sparrows and some others that live in there. This is where they hide when the hawk is hunting. Yesterday I saw the hawk go into this thicket. So now they have nowhere to hide.

Maybe I will at least get a picture of this hawk but nothing so far.
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Kevin

This is one common problem with feeders. You attract more than what you hope for. And it is natural for humans to think that the animals that come around should only be the ones we want & than we think they are ours. But this is nature & it doesn't always work out the way we think it should.

One thing you might try is to locate your feeder in places that are hard for larger birds to fly in to & manuaver. If you set out feeders try on in a tighter area & one on a tree limb that is exposed. See which one the birds use the most. And remember, hawks have to eat too.

Fred

ffnikclif said:

This is one common problem with feeders. You attract more than what you hope for. And it is natural for humans to think that the animals that come around should only be the ones we want & than we think they are ours. But this is nature & it doesn't always work out the way we think it should.

One thing you might try is to locate your feeder in places that are hard for larger birds to fly in to & manuaver. If you set out feeders try on in a tighter area & one on a tree limb that is exposed. See which one the birds use the most. And remember, hawks have to eat too.

Fred

Click to expand...

Hi Fred,

I only have 2 feeders out. One for the small birds and another that is open to allow the big Doves to feed. My neighbor has a very big feeding set up. He has many feeders, 3 bird houses, a thicket for them to roost, and a water fountain. I usually get the overflow of birds in my yard. I know hawks have to feed too. I wish he would give me a chance to get a few good shots of him. He hunts at a couple of hundred feet up, dives to make his kill, and it's all over very quickly.
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Kevin

Hey Kevin you can send them my way. I have red shouldered hawks that hang out at my place.





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I love big, I love fast, 400/2.8 is my glass

Thanks Linda, at least you get to photograph yours. I only have one picture of my tormentor. He was on a limb facing the opposite direction even though he was looking down at me. I have a pair too but usually don't see them at the same time.
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Kevin

I'm going to sound somewhat unsympathetic, but I'm an ecologist who looks at whole systems (and an environmental educator). When feeders are set up they will attract birds- that is the idea- but how many places are there in the natural world where permanent food exists all year round? Feeders raise the number of "target" birds that the system could otherwise support, and also establish regular patterns of behaviour for the birds that use them. Predators survive by recognising patterns of behaviour that may they can exploit- your hawk is as much a part of the system as the other birds that you want to photograph, and feeders provide a hunting opportunity that might not otherwise exist. Predators such as hawks play important roles in the fitness of populations as a whole, knocking off the slow or the weak or the inattentive. In this way they are actually doing the species a favour and the hawk is a GOOD thing- perhaps not for your birdwatching, but certainly for the avifaunal community s a whole. Be patient- once the hawk has done its work in waking the birds up to the fact that if you're a small package of protein the world is not a safe place, the hawk will move on to the next feeder station where the birds have been lulled into a false sense of security.
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Gehyra -the lizard that sticks
http://www.pbase.com/gehyra

Just an aside, are you sure it is a red tail? They normally feed on rodents, not being quick enough to catch other birds. You normally see them being tormented by smaller birds.

Very good insight, thanks for your input. You are right, the hawk will return things to normal soon. I just haven't seen the hawks hunt day after day for so long before. I found the picture of this hawk, or his father, I took 8 years ago. I don't know what their natural life span is.





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Kevin

Kevin, as an avid birder I totally understand your problem. You have some great feedback here which I also enjoyed reading.

I participated at one of the 'underground' forums about a year ago where the owner posted photos of the birds he feeds. He went on to post a picture of a Northern Mockingbird - bragging that he had killed the bird, and that he does this routinely because the Mockingbird bothers his other birds. I told the numbskull that it is a protected bird - even posted the link to the official list but he's a hardhead as are a few other people that posted there.

Needless to say, I left that forum and didn't look back. When his 'sidekick female friend' who also participates at his forum sent me some heated emails - arguing that this guy had every right to shoot the birds, I couldn't get anything through her thick head. I told her that even IF it was legal to shoot the songbirds, there are hunting laws that have to be followed....like you can't shoot deer except at this time of year and so forth. I finally had to discard my email so that she'd quit contacting me.

Now every time I look at a Mockingbird, my mind is scarred from that event. Some people. Just give me the button.....

Anyway, I hope your issue rectifies.

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Silent Oracle

DPR Photo Gallery: http://www.dpreview.com/galleries/6788920692/photos
Flickr Photo Gallery: http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_silent_oracle/
Favorite Song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21ZsxvtH6Zc
Favorite Band: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fqPcnuVPR8&ob=av2n

Favorite Videos: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/14/jimmy-fallon-as-jim-morrison-reading-rainbow_n_1093328.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/15/pants-on-the-ground-neil_n_424468.html

The hawk in the picture appears to be a juvenile Cooper's hawk. Their coloration is very close to a Red Tail, and they are almost as large. The Cooper's tail is thinner. We have lost numerous doves, catbirds, and even a young rabbit to our neighborhood Cooper's. Regardless of the species, if you have a feeder, you will have this happen.

Well, I may stand corrected. I had this bird identified for me on the forum at the time I took it. I am not an expert on birds though I am learning.

I am not sure if this is the same bird I have now. The bird I have seen recently has a white & tan breast feathers and about a 4' wing span. This bird does like Doves. I hope I can get a shot of my hawk so I can get a proper identification.
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Kevin

Silent Oracle said:

Kevin, as an avid birder I totally understand your problem. You have some great feedback here which I also enjoyed reading.

I participated at one of the 'underground' forums about a year ago where the owner posted photos of the birds he feeds. He went on to post a picture of a Northern Mockingbird - bragging that he had killed the bird, and that he does this routinely because the Mockingbird bothers his other birds. I told the numbskull that it is a protected bird - even posted the link to the official list but he's a hardhead as are a few other people that posted there.

Needless to say, I left that forum and didn't look back. When his 'sidekick female friend' who also participates at his forum sent me some heated emails - arguing that this guy had every right to shoot the birds, I couldn't get anything through her thick head. I told her that even IF it was legal to shoot the songbirds, there are hunting laws that have to be followed....like you can't shoot deer except at this time of year and so forth. I finally had to discard my email so that she'd quit contacting me.

Now every time I look at a Mockingbird, my mind is scarred from that event. Some people. Just give me the button.....

Anyway, I hope your issue rectifies.

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Silent Oracle

Click to expand...

Thanks for your input. There are people like that all over that think they can distroy anything that gets in their way. Luckily the wildlike survives in spite of them. My hawk must have killed a mockingbird last year himself because I saw one terriorizing him for days on end. It was funny watching this very large bird being swooped upon by the small mockingbird.

There is only one bird that I wish I could shoot is the Starlings that terriorize the locals while they pass through in migration. That is a worthless bird. I've seen them attach the Purple Martins distroying their bird house nests, baby chicks and all. Then they just move on.
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Kevin

You'll be glad that hawk keeps your rodent(squirrel, chipmunk, mouse, etc.) population under control.

Kevin, about those starlings. If I'm remembering correctly, they are not indigenous to the USA and originated in China? Someone correct me if I'm wrong, please. They are a menace indeed and very aggressive towards other birds.

Cowbirds.....we have thousands of them visit us during the winter. I believe they lay their eggs in other bird's nests amid the spring mating season.

My birding area is generally packed in the winter time with goldfinch both in the woods and up by the house at my 'front feeders'. Also....tons of red-winged blackbirds.

While I like the red-wings, the finches and the cowbirds....gee, there are so many that I actually dread the influx. LOL! I still feed them all anyway.

My favorite is watching the grackles mate in spring. They are so comical to watch.
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Silent Oracle

DPR Photo Gallery: http://www.dpreview.com/galleries/6788920692/photos
Flickr Photo Gallery: http://www.flickr.com/photos/the_silent_oracle/
Favorite Song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21ZsxvtH6Zc
Favorite Band: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fqPcnuVPR8&ob=av2n

Favorite Videos: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/14/jimmy-fallon-as-jim-morrison-reading-rainbow_n_1093328.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/15/pants-on-the-ground-neil_n_424468.html

He has definately put a big dent in the squirrel population lately. We could also stand to lose more white wing doves.

We'll let the story play out and see what comes out of this. Thanks to all for the comments and assistance.
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Kevin

Silent Oracle said:

Kevin, about those starlings. If I'm remembering correctly, they are not indigenous to the USA and originated in China? Someone correct me if I'm wrong, please. They are a menace indeed and very aggressive towards other birds.

Click to expand...

Starlings were introduced into the US by a group that believed that every bird mentioned in Shapespeare should exist in America:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=call-of-the-reviled
I believe that there are now 220 million starlings in the US.

Starlings are fairly common in Europe and are at therr most spectacular in winter when they gather in huge flocks, sometimes several million birds, before coming down to roost. They cause huge problems in Rome which has over 20 million starlings in winter.
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Chris R

Chris R-UK said:

Silent Oracle said:

Kevin, about those starlings. If I'm remembering correctly, they are not indigenous to the USA and originated in China? Someone correct me if I'm wrong, please. They are a menace indeed and very aggressive towards other birds.

Click to expand...

Starlings were introduced into the US by a group that believed that every bird mentioned in Shapespeare should exist in America:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=call-of-the-reviled
I believe that there are now 220 million starlings in the US.

Starlings are fairly common in Europe and are at therr most spectacular in winter when they gather in huge flocks, sometimes several million birds, before coming down to roost. They cause huge problems in Rome which has over 20 million starlings in winter.
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Chris R

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info Chris. I had no idea there was an actual reason why the Starlings were brought over here. More evidence of Man interfearing in the natural order of nature. It doesn't sound like one man with a pellet gun can make much a difference.
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Kevin