WDCash Loc: Milford, Delaware, USA

The end of the Hawk

This is sorta long.

Yesterday morning we were preparing to head out to some errands, Home Depot was on our list of places to stop. I needed to check if I needed now paint rollers. Just as I was about to step out the back door I spotted the squirrel pigging out on Sunflower seeds. Almost the same instant I say the Coopers Hawk perched about 8' away. Basically the Squirrel and Hawk were side by side with the Hawk 3' higher. It was very obvious the Hawk saw the Squirrel because every now and then it would stop scanning for birds in the sky and take a hard look at the Squirrel. The Squirrel seemed like it couldn't care less.

I couldn't bring myself to open the back door and spook one or the other of them. So naturally I went for my camera and started taking pictures.

The Squirrel was only 15' from me and the Hawk about 20'. I tried everything I could with my 150-400 but there was no way to get them in the same shot. Then I shot some to try to join them in PS. (I learned earlier today, when I tried to blend them, that the angles and distances were enough that blending them was past my abilities to make look good.)

I looked away for a minute to change a setting and when I looked back the Squirrel had waddled away but the Hawk stayed. Stayed for a good while.

Finally I decided I needed to go out to the garage to check if I needed the rollers and the Hawk would just have to "deal with it". So I set the camera to record a video and headed out the back door, slowly. (First video recoding for me with a dslr)

The Hawk seemed rather untroubled by me opening the back door and storm door. I had noticed that it seemed to be dealing with something in it craw. Whatever it ate before landing in the perch in my yard seemed to still be moving around, quite a bit. I could watch its craw change shape through the camera viewfinder. And when it moved the bird obviously noticed. It seemed to be talking to itself as well.

Anyway, I slowly made my way between the house and the Hawk, guessing I passed within 6-8' of it as I slowly walked to the back door and to the garage. I fully expected the hawk to fly away but it sat and occasionally looked at me. It seemed more troubled by the beep the electronic door lock made when i entered the combination. After checked my painting supplies I came back out, when I closed the door and the electronic lock activated the Hawk flew to the back corner and perched on the bug trap. (that will be the black object you see in some of the photos.

Ten minutes later the Hawk was back. This time perched on the small feeding platform just above where the Squirrel had been feasting.

Eventually I needed to head out the front door to Home Depot.

Later that same day. I was reading on the couch in the Sunroom. It was raining, very cold and windy. I heard a loud bump as something large flew into the glass deck railing followed by the sound of that thing falling to the deck. I got up expecting to find a dead Mourning Dove. It was the Immature Coopers Hawk that was here in the morning.

The Hawk was flat on its back, wings extended and flat out. I thought for sure it was dead. So I called to my wife and out I go. No blood but the Hawk looked very dead. Soaking wet, limp all over, no sign of life. Naturally I carefully picked it up rolled it right side up with its breast on my forearm and its head in my hand and folded its wings into a natural position. Despite the fact that I thought it was dead I was holding it like it was alive and hurt. As I stepped through the sliding glass door back into the house I thought I saw its eyelid move. Could be nerves?

I asked my wife for a towel. What a woman- she gave me a fresh dish towel from the kitchen.

Slowly the Hawk regained consciousness. Naturally we took a couple pictures. The first my wife took with the cell phone. After that we walked down to my studio, bird in towel waking up. I gave the "mostly dead" Hawk to my wife took a couple more pictures.

When she handed the Hawk back to me it started, ever so slightly, to react to being confined in a towel and started to move its legs and tried to move its wings. It wasn't frantic, yet. I was afraid of hurting it further so we took it out to the patio and set it on its own feet. I put small pvc patio end table over it to block the rain.

Eventually it moved out from under the small table and onto the grass. For the next few hours we stood and watched out the windows to see if it would make it.
Eventually it flew back to the perch near where I photographed it in the morning. Around last light it left, I didn't see it go.
"Its a wild thing and it has to make it on its own." That's what we kept telling each other. We doubted it could survive the night, but we hoped it would.

This morning. The young Coopers Hawk was back on one of the perches. It looked a bit out of sorts but mostly ok. It spent most of the day here and finally disappeared mid afternoon. The small birds that frequent our feeder have been MIA and continue to not stop by. We are taking that as a good sign.

Too long a tail and too many photos. Images of this morning will follow in another post.

first shot, Hawk checking our Squirrel

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another image about the same time, Hawk checking me out

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Just a squirrel and an old guy, noting to worry about

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This squirrel must have a reputation for kicking hawk butt.

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Down for the count

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more recovery

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Just released

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moving on its own

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Back on a perch, very low light image for my camera

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pbcbob Loc: Delray Beach, FL

Great story. Love the details and pictures.

Blair Shaw Jr Loc: Dunnellon,Florida

That was a terrific story and you got great photos of the Hawk and it's recovery. Nice work.

UTMike Loc: South Jordan, UT

Wonderful story, Bill! And the excellent photos to go with it. I really like the expression you captured in #2.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Great story along with great pictures!

photophile Loc: Lakewood, Ohio, USA

Fine photos, glad you guys helped the hawk survive.

NMGal Loc: NE NM

You did your good deed for the day. Beautiful photos.

WDCash Loc: Milford, Delaware, USA

Thanks PbcBob

WDCash Loc: Milford, Delaware, USA

Thanks Blair,
I wondered about sharing such a long tail

WDCash Loc: Milford, Delaware, USA

Thanks Mike.
Back when I was carving it seemed we attracted hurt birds.
People would show up at our front door with a box with some bird or other in it.
This seemed almost normal.

That look in #2 is my favorite as well It seems this Hawk likes to do it but it could just be coincidence.

WDCash Loc: Milford, Delaware, USA

Thanks very much Paul

WDCash Loc: Milford, Delaware, USA

Thanks Karin,
We have been bird people for a very long time. We have pulled off the road and changed our plans more than a few times for an injured bird .

WDCash Loc: Milford, Delaware, USA

Thanks NMGal.

Quixdraw Loc: x

Excellent, Thanks for the photos and story. We have lots of both birds and glass, and we get occasional collisions. Never a Hawk, but all kinds of smaller birds. I haven't picked up a live one, but they are tough - just informal count 4 of 5 recover and fly away. Haven't yet found an acceptable way to reduce the crashes.

smilenangler Loc: The Flood City, Pa.

wow, sweet!