Eagles & Hawks

[rober]

way back when eagles nested all along the Missouri & Mississippi rivers. 15-20 years ago they started wintering in the area. now we have a full time population again. Crows figured out that urban areas were easy pickings & were soon followed by hawks. we now have large populations of red tail, grissom, & cooper hawks & kestrals. my redbone coonhound has turned bird dog on the side. this morning I found a dead starling on the patio. an hour later I say a cooper hawk ( it's been hunting my bird feeders ) just miss a bird & lingered in the yard. I got the starling & quietly went out & tossed it near the hawk. he lifted off the ground about 3', landed, & flew off with his free breakfast. pretty cool! I should have filmed it. Saturday while walking the hound in the city park I got to see an eagle snatch a fish out of the lake!!

[Jen]

Hi Rober, I love the raptors. I keep several bird feeders up all year long. In the spring the feeders are very busy and the hawks come around as well. I was lucky one morning when this Sharp Shinned hawk was patiently waiting for a careless sparrow to show up.

[Lburou]

We have red tailed hawks in our neighborhood all year, and bald eagles over Christmas.  We also have transient prairie & Merlin falcons and an occasional kestral that force birds deep into the trees for days and weeks at a time.  Texas has more birds than any place I have ever lived, we keep the birder books close at hand as the annual migrations take place.

I thought a smaller bird would have no chance fleeing from a falcon.  Little did I know.  A few weeks ago I was looking out the window toward the river and a bright red cardinal flew between the end of the house and the shop.  That space is about three feet wide.  The cardinal made a hard right and a falcon, just 5 feet behind, couldn't make the turn.  The falcon landed on the tree in its path, rested, and flew off.  The cardinal's knowledge of his home ground, and its use of the buildings as cover revealed more intelligence than I gave them credit for.  Or, maybe it was just lucky.

[Wandering Man]

We thought we had a pair of eagles behind our back yard last February.  Turns out it is a form of a falcon, commonly referred to as a Mexican Eagle.  It is a Crested Caracara:






We were also surprised by a pair of roadrunners that braved our backyard and our front yard:

[Wandering Man]

Hi Rober, I love the raptors. I keep several bird feeders up all year long. In the spring the feeders are very busy and the hawks come around as well. I was lucky one morning when this Sharp Shinned hawk was patiently waiting for a careless sparrow to show up.

He looks downright chubby!  You might be overfeeding him?

[Mikey N.C.]

WM, I've not had the pleasure to go that far west (Dallas, FW)  but that bird looks awesome.  Would love to see one, don't think i could stop laughing.  Pretty bird ! !

[rober]

awhile ago I was nailing down a subfloor on a 2nd story & when I stood up I was nearly in the path of a red tail's dive. his left wing tip brushed across my right cheek. he hit some leaves across the alley & came up with a mouse. if I had been 1' to the right he would of knocked me off of the building. this was at my last house. right across the street a cooper hawk set up it's nest in a tulip poplar. that pair of hawks hunted my bird feeders too.

[neillsayers]

Great stories guys, thanks for sharing them.

Sweet Wife and I have been licensed falconers for years. Life has been too hectic for some time and we are unable to do it now but have a lot of great memories and who knows we may get back into it before this journey is over.

[Lburou]

Pretty hard to top that story rober. 

I wanted to get into falconry Neil, but when I realized that it would take so much time and require care every day, I decided not to try it. My last station was at the Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO.  Their mascot is the falcon.  I had several occasions to chat with the Vet who cared for the falcons in the mews there.  He told me that to capture a raptor, all you needed was a rabbit and a net...They cannot resist a target in the open like that.  Intriguing area of study.

[lazy shooter]

We have two large horned owls in the oak meadow behind our home.  This time of the year, they are hooting every morning just before sunrise.  They sometimes sit of the ridge row of our home.  I know that because they leave a SIGN of being there.  In the summer they fly over our back yard going from meadow to meadow.  They fly silently.  Sometimes when sitting in my reclining lawn chair I see a giant shadow pass overhead, but there will not be a sound.  They are the silent killers of the dark.  Like many of you, I am in awe of the raptors, but these giant owls really tweak me up.

lazy

[Jen]

Wman, the mexican eagle, so beautiful and different. Would love to have roadrunners here, great bird. Also, my sharp shinned hawk is puffed out and preening, I love to watch them preen.

Rober, speaking of a close call with your red tail... I have friend who was hiking in the mountains with her boyfriend this last spring. All of a sudden she was cold cocked head on by a Goshawk, even left talon marks on her forehead. She was knocked senseless for a few minutes, felt like a baseball bat had clobbered her. Must have gotten too close to Gos's nest.

Neil??!! Are you kidding me?!! I have always been interested in falconry. Didn't have the time during family years to persue, and just read a book called 'H is for Hawk'. Then learned that falconry is such a dedication, that I should prob wait until I can really concentrate on it.

Lee, I thought that a true falconer started from the egg of a falcon? And yes me too, with the birds books. Just this week for the first time in 30 years in this house, we have a Red Crowned Kinglet hanging on our windows. One of the cutest little birds I have ever seen. I'll try and get a pic.

Lazy, I can only imagine hearing those owls at dawn, would put me right back to sleep

[Bakersdozen]

I love seeing hawks and hearing owls around the house.  They keep the pest population down.

[Knucs]

Here I thought the post was going to be about the recent football game between the 2 teams, 
We enjoy a lot of birds as well, especially the raptors like others. Have owls, hawks & eagles here, living on the Wisconsin river. Watching king fishers dive for their meals is fun. Enjoy the turkeys too.

[minz]

Great stories guys, thanks for sharing them.

Sweet Wife and I have been licensed falconers for years. Life has been too hectic for some time and we are unable to do it now but have a lot of great memories and who knows we may get back into it before this journey is over.

I have had a redtail taking down my chickens and did an internet search for traps. After watching some of the videos I was thinking that falconry would be an awesome hobby but could not find any info on just how difficult it would be to get permits. Any info on how to get permits?
I actually put wings and a chunk of the chicken on a spaghetti squash to see if it was safe to let the chickens out.  That decoy was spread all over the yard when I got home-so I would think they would not be too difficult to capture when they are in a habit.

[neillsayers]

Raptors are federally protected. To get licensed one must first get an apprentice permit under the aegis of a master falconer. At that level you are only allowed to keep birds that are not endangered. In Arkansas that means Red tail  or kestral. After serving an apprenticeship of two years, you can upgrade to General level.   Harris Hawks are an interesting species, but are only allowed to general and master falconers. They actually enjoy working with other birds which allows falconers to hunt in small groups.

Here is a good start to get info.

http://www.dfw.state.or.us/wildlife/license_permits_apps/falconry/