Young Hawk Vs Young Squirrel
Jan 12, 2022 01:17:11 #
Which one wins?
Well this immature Cooper's Hawk landed on the old swing set in my yard and the birds promptly left. The hawk looked all around from different places (all shots were very blurry due to too low a SS) but no good shots there.
The young squirrel that had been scarfing up sunflower seeds under a feeder didn't notice and kept feeding.
The hawk hopped into the air and glided across to land on the bird bath behind the squirrel which had its head in the grass getting seeds and didn't notice.
The hawk positioned itself to hop and pounce and the squirrel finally realized something was wrong. The hawk pounced but the squirrel went straight ahead between two large terra cotta pots into the middle of a clust of pots around another bird bath and large pottery feeder. I missed the actual pounce because I had my hand off the shutter button to shoo my little dog away-she jumped up and put her paws and claws on my leg to remind me I had been giving her and my wife's dog treats before the hawk appeared. I was wearing shorts and I got a couple of scratchs and reacted without thinking.
But:
1. Hawk behind squirrel at about 7 feet, squirrel finally notices something.
2. Hawk ready to pounce.
3. Squirrel got away into the pottery fortress and the hawk is too large to get in there.
Oh, the #1 cause of death for young hawks is starvation or malnutrion+disease. Successful hunting is not really easy to learn. I have read that the #2 cause of death is falling victim to a larger bird of prey or some other predator.
7DII, 100-400L mk2 + 1.4x @160, 1/800 @ f/8, ISO-1250
Well this immature Cooper's Hawk landed on the old swing set in my yard and the birds promptly left. The hawk looked all around from different places (all shots were very blurry due to too low a SS) but no good shots there.
The young squirrel that had been scarfing up sunflower seeds under a feeder didn't notice and kept feeding.
The hawk hopped into the air and glided across to land on the bird bath behind the squirrel which had its head in the grass getting seeds and didn't notice.
The hawk positioned itself to hop and pounce and the squirrel finally realized something was wrong. The hawk pounced but the squirrel went straight ahead between two large terra cotta pots into the middle of a clust of pots around another bird bath and large pottery feeder. I missed the actual pounce because I had my hand off the shutter button to shoo my little dog away-she jumped up and put her paws and claws on my leg to remind me I had been giving her and my wife's dog treats before the hawk appeared. I was wearing shorts and I got a couple of scratchs and reacted without thinking.
But:
1. Hawk behind squirrel at about 7 feet, squirrel finally notices something.
2. Hawk ready to pounce.
3. Squirrel got away into the pottery fortress and the hawk is too large to get in there.
Oh, the #1 cause of death for young hawks is starvation or malnutrion+disease. Successful hunting is not really easy to learn. I have read that the #2 cause of death is falling victim to a larger bird of prey or some other predator.
7DII, 100-400L mk2 + 1.4x @160, 1/800 @ f/8, ISO-1250
Jan 12, 2022 04:48:58 #
Great series even without the pounce. I think the time from juvenile to adult is the most dangerous for many/most species. Not much time to learn the skills necessary for survival. Although the predator gets to make a few more mistakes than the prey.
Jan 12, 2022 05:59:51 #
robertjerl wrote:
Which one wins? br br Well this immature Cooper's... (show quote)
Nice storytelling with pictures!
Jan 12, 2022 06:03:30 #
Jan 12, 2022 06:16:25 #
Jan 12, 2022 06:29:45 #
Jan 12, 2022 06:40:06 #
Jan 12, 2022 09:55:34 #
Jan 12, 2022 13:13:12 #
JimmyTB wrote:
Great series even without the pounce. I think the time from juvenile to adult is the most dangerous for many/most species. Not much time to learn the skills necessary for survival. Although the predator gets to make a few more mistakes than the prey.
Thank you
I taught Jr and Sr High in Los Angeles for 35 years. It applies to humans also. I had a few lost students over the years. Smart off to a gang member in a bad mood. Be at a bus stop in the other gang's territory. Think you are a Nascar driver and hit a bridge abutement while street racing. Get stabbed by gang members crashing a family party when you try to make them leave instead of waiting for the cops to do it.
Jan 12, 2022 13:13:49 #
Jan 12, 2022 13:14:11 #
nanaval wrote:
Love the pictures and story telling... 
thanks a lot
Jan 12, 2022 13:14:28 #
Jan 12, 2022 13:14:57 #
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Jan 12, 2022 13:15:49 #
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