Dive bombing hawks/ birdwatching

[Chukker Veteran]

I’ve been spending a lot more time around my house the past several years, like a lot of folks. I had an old bird feeder, but I never really got interested in it because the squirrels would clean it out so quickly. But I cleaned it up…it seems birds use sight to find food and a clean feeder helps them see the seed…who knew?…and gave it another try.
I was determined to rig up something to keep the squirrels out. First a baffle on the pole kept them from coming from the ground. I thought I had it far enough away from the tree in the corner that they couldn’t make the jump, but they did. So I put a plastic serving g platter on the top of the stand, and that kept off the jump from that angle.

But they soon realized they could jump from the side and land underneath the platter, but on top of the feeder. So I put another platter on the side, and I think I finally have whipped them. I’ve seen a few try to make the jump and land on the platter, but it is floppy and slick and they can’t get a grip and bounce off to the ground. It’s very gratifying for me to see it happen.

For those bored enough to read this deep in my post…yesterday morning early I was on my back porch watching the activity around my feeders…it was swarmed with small birds everywhere. Squirrels and chimpmunks cleaning up the ground underneath.
Out of the blue, a very large hawk dive bombed my feeder. It happened so quick I couldn’t really get a good look. It was going super fast, passed within a few feet of the feeder, in a dive bomb trajectory. Then it swooped up a foot or two off the ground, then I it was up again and cleared the fence.
Immediately after that, there was not a creature in sight. No small birds, no squirrels, no nothing. It took about 30 minutes before they came back. I swear I think the hawk plucked breakfast out of the air in front of me.

Once I was riding a flat stretch of highway coming home fromFlorence, and noticed a hawk overhead. The hawk saw something it wanted in the grassy median in the middle of the highway, and went for it. It made the dive bomb attack…it was so focused on it’s prey it did not take into account the car in front of me. To my amazement, that hawk dive bombed right into that car’s windshield. It looked like the car had hit a bag of feathers. The windshield cracked but was not penetrated. They pulled over, I did too. We were both stunned, them more so than me.

I just wondered if anybody else was getting into birdwatching at home or had ever seen a hawk attack.
here’s my rig for my feeders.

 

[Its On A Slab]

Several years ago, I was driving on the interstate in a driving rainstorm. I looked up, just in time to see a hawk pass over the roadway, not a few feet above the cars......with a large snake in its' claws.

 

[Tug Tide]

Bringing the tug down the Mississippi River several years back I watched a bald eagle destroy a smaller bird mid flight. It was like you described, an explosion of feathers.

 

[T Bone]

my wife is in a wheelchair, and loves watching our feeders............here are a few

 

[NationalTitles18]

We have a red tail hawk that perches on a utility pole 50 yards or so from the house. There are plenty of field mice and other critters for it. I haven't seen it divebomb Mrs NT18's bird feeder yet.

If you ever get bored...

 

[UAH]

I’ve been spending a lot more time around my house the past several years, like a lot of folks. I had an old bird feeder, but I never really got interested in it because the squirrels would clean it out so quickly. But I cleaned it up…it seems birds use sight to find food and a clean feeder helps them see the seed…who knew?…and gave it another try.
I was determined to rig up something to keep the squirrels out. First a baffle on the pole kept them from coming from the ground. I thought I had it far enough away from the tree in the corner that they couldn’t make the jump, but they did. So I put a plastic serving g platter on the top of the stand, and that kept off the jump from that angle.

But they soon realized they could jump from the side and land underneath the platter, but on top of the feeder. So I put another platter on the side, and I think I finally have whipped them. I’ve seen a few try to make the jump and land on the platter, but it is floppy and slick and they can’t get a grip and bounce off to the ground. It’s very gratifying for me to see it happen.

For those bored enough to read this deep in my post…yesterday morning early I was on my back porch watching the activity around my feeders…it was swarmed with small birds everywhere. Squirrels and chimpmunks cleaning up the ground underneath.
Out of the blue, a very large hawk dive bombed my feeder. It happened so quick I couldn’t really get a good look. It was going super fast, passed within a few feet of the feeder, in a dive bomb trajectory. Then it swooped up a foot or two off the ground, then I it was up again and cleared the fence.
Immediately after that, there was not a creature in sight. No small birds, no squirrels, no nothing. It took about 30 minutes before they came back. I swear I think the hawk plucked breakfast out of the air in front of me.

Once I was riding a flat stretch of highway coming home fromFlorence, and noticed a hawk overhead. The hawk saw something it wanted in the grassy median in the middle of the highway, and went for it. It made the dive bomb attack…it was so focused on it’s prey it did not take into account the car in from of me. To my amazement, that hawk dive bombed right into that car’s windshield. It looked like the car had hit a bag of feathers. The windshield cracked but was not penetrated. They pulled over, I did too. We were both stunned, them more so than me.

I just wondered if anybody else was getting into birdwatching at home or had ever seen a hawk attack.
here’s my rig for my feeders.View attachment 25141

After fighting the squirrels for a couple of years we moved our feeders under the porch where the squirrels have no place to climb up. Our suet feeder remains on the tree with an inverted stainless pan that deters them from leaping. Now we have squirrels that we feed daily underneath the tree. They and the chipmunks are prospering and we may regret it in the future but really are attempting to make our place hospitable to nature in general.

Anyplace where birds congregate there will be hawks. We have had several incidences with Dove being attacked on our lawn. Our large Maple and other trees in the neighborhood provide pretty good shelter when the alarm goes out.

There is a nice group on Facebook, Birding Alabama, that provides pretty current information on the bird species people are seeing throughout Alabama with a lot of participation throughout North Alabama.

 

[UAH]

Several years ago, I was driving on the interstate in a driving rainstorm. I looked up, just in time to see a hawk pass over the roadway, not a few feet above the cars......with a large snake in its' claws.

Years ago we kept our small farm unplanted and I mowed it several times each summer. The Red-Tailed Hawks would gather in the trees and take snakes, rabbits, mice, whatever came out as the mower passed. It was amazing to see how quickly they learned that the mower meant food availability.

 

[TexasBama]

Several years ago, the city of Houston released some falcons for pigeon control. I’ve seen one dive bomb a squirrel, and a neighbor followed one with his video camera and the falcon had a stack of pigeons in someone’s yard. I saw a falcon chasing a dove once - a dove can outfly a falcon or a hawk in level flight. I haven’t seen a falcon around here in several years, but I see a Cooper’s Hawk occasionally.

 

[Tideflyer]

We have a red tail hawk that perches on a utility pole 50 yards or so from the house. There are plenty of field mice and other critters for it. I haven't seen it divebomb Mrs NT18's bird feeder yet.

If you ever get bored...

May well not see a Red Tail attack the feeder unless it`s for a squirrel or chipmunk. What you WILL see are Accipiters ( Cooper`s and Sharp Shins ) going after smaller birds. Feeders are like smorgasbords for those type of woodland hawks.

 

[TIDE-HSV]

We used to feed heavily but we finally backed off because, living where we live, it just drew in too many varmints - raccoons and the like. We still feed hummers. We had our squirrel battles. We had a cross-arm feeder, with four feeders, overhung by a locust tree which is no longer there. The squirrels would launch from it. I happened to have some stovepipe joints which hadn't been closed and joined yet and I started nailing them up the tree, which I intended to cut down anyway. Then I watched. One of the regulars started up the tree and he'd stop and gauge his jump. He finally got up above where the stovepipe joints stopped. It was too high to risk and he knew it. He then turned around and started biting the galvanized stovepipe out of frustration...

 

[92tide]

we have several hawks (along with tons of other birds) in our neighborhood and always love watching them. when they come low and start hunting around, everything goes completely quiet.

a couple of months ago, my daughter and i were walking in our neighborhood and we saw a juvenile hawk attempt to catch a squirrel right in front of us. it swooped down right over our heads and landed about 10 yards in front of us. it fumbled the squirrel, but it stood right in front of us with its wings outstretched and was pretty "mad". it was great seeing one so up close, the thing was freaking huge

 

[TIDE-HSV]

We used to have a barred owl which hung out in our woods. Our little black cat, Schatzi, started acting oddly and I saw blood under her chin and I took her to the vet. The vet called me and told the wound went up into her oral cavity. Something with impressive claws, probably the owl, had grabbed Schatzi by the head and one talon had pierced up into her mouth. Schatzi was an inveterate and skilled climber and I wouldn't be surprised if she had not been in a tree when the big bird grabbed her. If so, she just hung on to the tree until the bird gave up. The vet wanted us to consider putting her down (she wasn't really a cat person), but we refused. They fitted her with an Elizabethan collar and put her on antibiotics. Weeks later, she was fine and lived another 7-8 years.

 

[UAH]

May well not see a Red Tail attack the feeder unless it`s for a squirrel or chipmunk. What you WILL see are Accipiters ( Cooper`s and Sharp Shins ) going after smaller birds. Feeders are like smorgasbords for those type of woodland hawks.

We had a Sharp Shin in our tree this Spring. They are magnificent birds. From time to time we see a Red Tail who likely keeps the squirrel and rabbit population in control in downtown Madison.

 

[rolltide_21]

I’ve been spending a lot more time around my house the past several years, like a lot of folks. I had an old bird feeder, but I never really got interested in it because the squirrels would clean it out so quickly. But I cleaned it up…it seems birds use sight to find food and a clean feeder helps them see the seed…who knew?…and gave it another try.
I was determined to rig up something to keep the squirrels out. First a baffle on the pole kept them from coming from the ground. I thought I had it far enough away from the tree in the corner that they couldn’t make the jump, but they did. So I put a plastic serving g platter on the top of the stand, and that kept off the jump from that angle.

But they soon realized they could jump from the side and land underneath the platter, but on top of the feeder. So I put another platter on the side, and I think I finally have whipped them. I’ve seen a few try to make the jump and land on the platter, but it is floppy and slick and they can’t get a grip and bounce off to the ground. It’s very gratifying for me to see it happen.

For those bored enough to read this deep in my post…yesterday morning early I was on my back porch watching the activity around my feeders…it was swarmed with small birds everywhere. Squirrels and chimpmunks cleaning up the ground underneath.
Out of the blue, a very large hawk dive bombed my feeder. It happened so quick I couldn’t really get a good look. It was going super fast, passed within a few feet of the feeder, in a dive bomb trajectory. Then it swooped up a foot or two off the ground, then I it was up again and cleared the fence.
Immediately after that, there was not a creature in sight. No small birds, no squirrels, no nothing. It took about 30 minutes before they came back. I swear I think the hawk plucked breakfast out of the air in front of me.

Once I was riding a flat stretch of highway coming home fromFlorence, and noticed a hawk overhead. The hawk saw something it wanted in the grassy median in the middle of the highway, and went for it. It made the dive bomb attack…it was so focused on it’s prey it did not take into account the car in front of me. To my amazement, that hawk dive bombed right into that car’s windshield. It looked like the car had hit a bag of feathers. The windshield cracked but was not penetrated. They pulled over, I did too. We were both stunned, them more so than me.

I just wondered if anybody else was getting into birdwatching at home or had ever seen a hawk attack.
here’s my rig for my feeders.View attachment 25141

In the church building where I work, we have a glass walkway that connects the two parts of our building. Before we tinted the windows birds flew into it all the time. One spring afternoon we heard a bird hit the window and then what sound like a shotgun went off. Walked over there and it seems a hawk was flying after a wren and both of them flew into the windows. When that hawk hit the window it was one of the loudest noises Ive heard. To quote the late Jerry Clower, there lay both of them graveyard dead.

 

[NationalTitles18]

The wildlife refuge is a few miles from the house. Mrs. NT18 has taken a "few" pictures there. I hope no one minds a small sample. Check the thumbnails for a few others. None of these are at our house.

Red tails are common here. I've also seen owls, falcons, and eagles. Many birds migrate through the area.






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[TexasBama]

We used to feed the birds but the dove take over. There’s a lot of dove here that don’t migrate. But the migration comes through here, and sometimes the dove call can almost hurt your ears.

 

[Padreruf]

We're on the marsh...have hawks and a couple of eagles along with egrets and typical southern birds. I'll try to get a picture of them this summer. Also have lots of "Georgia Eagles," aka Turkey Vultures.

 

[crimbru]

We have these guys and once saw a bunch chasing a falcon that probably had snatched one of them.

 

[TitleWave]

Bringing the tug down the Mississippi River several years back I watched a bald eagle destroy a smaller bird mid flight. It was like you described, an explosion of feathers.

Only seen it once (confirmed) and possibly a second time from greater distance, but a whitehead going vertical to take out a snow goose from below looks like a pillow fight broke out at 200 feet.

On the other hand when predators can't strike for themselves, they may appreciate a little help. Fed this red tail female last winter from an overabundance some would say pestilence of snows after seeing her have trouble hunting because of a broken right leg that couldn't be mended. (The snow had flown into a power line in the midst of a flock of maybe 3,000 taking off from a nearby wheat field.) What the red tail's doing in the second photo is called "mantling" - protecting her din-din by making herself appear as formidable as possible against encroachment from even more lethal hunting machines (whiteheads). You can also see the debilitating right leg that later cost her the inevitable losing battle against nature.

 

[Tideflyer]

We have these guys and once saw a bunch chasing a falcon that probably had snatched one of them. View attachment 25168

That`s an Indian Ringneck parrot. There are feral flocks of those in different places, usually warmer climes.