We lost 3 parakeets yesterday to a hawk. We had the parakeet cages in trees, thinking that it was a nice environment for them. We moved all their
cages into the chicken coop, hoping that would keep him out but I just looked out the window and the hawk was in the chicken coop. When I ran out
onto the porch screaming, he panicked while trying to get out but he managed to squeeze himself through the wire.
This hawk somehow gets his talons into the cage and shreds the poor parakeets...it is not a pretty sight.
He must be hungry to come so close to us.Natalie Ann - 12-12-2007 at 09:52 AM
Wow! what strange hawk behavior, Judy. I'd think there would be plenty of little chirpers the hawk could catch with more ease.
I'm really sorry for the loss of your parakeets.
NenaMarie-Rose - 12-12-2007 at 09:53 AM
That's
really awful Judy! I know Acuity had said awhile back that he had a
hawk in his yard and I have seen them around our place as well. Doesn't bode well
for the chickens running around our area!!Paulina - 12-12-2007 at 10:06 AM
Judy, I'm sorry to hear that you lost your parakeets.
We had a hawk come down and pick up our African Grey parrot from the top of her cage as we were standing right there. We saw a swoop and tussle of
feathers, a scream from Gracie as it lifted her up about a foot above her cage. We are thinking that Gracie must have bit the hawk because it dropped
her back on her cage and took off. Maybe she looked like a big pidgeon?
She was fine, but now she keeps an eye out to the sky when we go outside, and so do we.
P<*)))><Osprey - 12-12-2007 at 10:34 AM
Sorry Judy. Here's a little piece about local hawks.
Horror and the Hawk
Rough and rural describes my neighborhood in the lowlands along the beach. A little village hunkered down between the shore and the talus of the
ragged ridge of mountains to the west, it can boast several types of bird habitat known by avid “Birders” as brush, sparse woods, semidesert, marshes,
arid scrub, farmlands.
This transitional desert on the Tropic of Cancer is temporary or permanent home to many species of hawks. Big hawks are seen atop phone and power
poles along farm roads. Smaller hawks like the Kestrel and the Sharp-shinned hawk zoom across highways and dirt trails, feeding closer to the ground.
There are at least three nesting pairs of Osprey diving for mullet and needlefish in the shallows of our local beach. Mexicans call the Osprey
Falcon Playera, the T Shirt falcon because of it’s white breast, dark wings.
I’ve been an awestruck spectator many times when the hawks and falcons have been feeding. When the Peregrines make their death-defying dives at
incredible speeds to intercept their usual prey, another bird, in mid-flight; the timing must be exact, the controlled collision quick and deadly.
That’s the split-second thrill that repays the falconer for his or her patience and dedication to the great bird and to the sport.
I never had the confidence to take on the profound discipline a falconer must have to raise and train these killers of the sky. The Cooper’s Hawk,
my favorite bird of prey, has been trained by falconers but its wild nature and unusual hunting methods have enamored it only to the fuzzy fringe of
people who call themselves Falconers. A true Accipiter, bird eater, it’s name says it all: accipiter cooperi. Small rodents, snakes, lizards and
insects make up a small portion of its diet.
In this neighborhood the Cooper’s is thriving. It has few natural predators; my Mexican neighbors don’t hunt them, shoot at them. They feed close
to the ground. The broad, stubby wings allow the small hawks to maneuver through trees, brush, fence wires to corner their small prey — surprise,
capture and kill all in one blink of an eye. In the next second or two the human eye can capture part of the escape. They usually take the same
twisting, dodging route to carry off their prize. The little hawks are focused and fearless; the whole episode can happen in your garden, under your
palapa, right at your feet.
A quirky smile was on my face when I once saw a Cooper’s dodge and dart through a formidable obstacle course of barbed wire, brush, trees and scrub
to steal a chick from under the watchful eye of a hen with eight other little fuzz-balls almost under her wings. The hawk was up and away before the
hen’s running, screaming outrage shattered the silence in the yard, startled the fat lady sweeping leaves from the stoop.
Although I have seen the agile Osprey dive into the shallows all morning without a single catch, I have never witnessed a single miss by a Cooper’s.
This tiny town was laid out for them, each lot seems to have its green and brown pylons of brush and bush and trees to allow the attacker to remain
unseen, slicing through the course, invisible until the last deadly second when it is too late for the prey to gain speed, height and a clear path to
safety. The little hawk needs only to have a stable vantage point above the yards of the houses; a place from which it can wait, watch for the
perfect setup.
A tiny ground dove pecking away in the dust at the base of a bougainvillea near the back wall of a small storage building is easy picking for the
Cooper’s. The delicate little bird may perhaps hear a broad wing flutter, glimpse, for only a part of a second, the fierce and fearsome eye of the
attacker, feel the thrust of the talons as they pierce feathers and flesh and bone; rendered limp and lifeless by the trauma, the crushing power of
the attack. No more than a morning snack to the little hawk, the tiny, dusky bird will be plucked and devoured in minutes from a safe perch not far
from this rustic bird cafe.
I’ve seen enough. Now, when small birds land in my yard to feed, I shoo them away. The wrens, woodcreepers, doves and sparrows I drive away, much
as I like to watch them. No more Hitchc-ck moments for me. I spend more time now at the beach, rejoicing at the near-misses of the majestic but
hapless Osprey.bajajudy - 12-12-2007 at 10:45 AM
You're hired Roger, come on down!
This is not the first time we have had one in the yard. I have a photo of one on our porch when we had the parakeets up there. Unfortunately, I dont
have access to my photos right now.
After the first incident, I called some friends up the hill to warn them and they said..."Oh we know. We had a small cage with a baby sitting on a
table in the yard in the sun to keep the little one warm. When we heard some strange noises, we walked outside just in time to see the cage taking
off in the talons of a hawk. When we screamed, he dropped the cage"
Marie-Rose
We have chickens running around all over our yard, some of them rather small. No problems yet with them.DrTom - 12-12-2007 at 10:54 AM
the behavior is adaptation. Same happens with fishing up here. The sea lions and seals wait until you have a salmon on the line, then when they hear
the buzz of the reel they take advantage of a fish, now slower because its on a line....Not to mention the sea lions are in the witness protection
program (protected species).bajajudy - 12-12-2007 at 11:01 AM
Very interesting, Sea Hawk
I dont know what kind of hawk this is but when I can access the pic, maybe you will know.
I, too, love to see the ospreys at the beach. This year there are at least 4 pairs in the estero. I have posted some pix of one that I see every
morning...dont ask me why I think that it is the same one because I couldnt answer you but I do believe this.
Their call is now a part of my mornings. There is also one that sits on the port channel marker coming into the marina that sings to me during my
swim every morning.Natalie Ann - 12-12-2007 at 11:41 AM
My new neighbor 2 doors down built a beautiful and unusual out-building in his back yard - building 'bout the size of my bedroom, solid redwood.
Turns out it's an aerie for his kestrel. Immediately the neighbors wanted to know if he was going to let it fly here, would they have to bring small
pets indoors now. He's a good guy - takes it to Hawk Hill along the coast. Beautiful creature it is.
NenaSantiago - 12-12-2007 at 02:31 PM
Ed Lusk, of Baja Best in El Rosario, claims that a red tail hawk had pick up cat dozing on his roof! Anyone else have a cat or small dog taken?Natalie Ann - 12-12-2007 at 03:47 PM
Neighbors lost a kitten to a Cooper's Hawk last year.
Nenabajajudy - 12-12-2007 at 04:27 PM
Now I remember...it is a red tail hawk!
Havent seen him again today but I am watching the parakeets like a hawk...vacaenbaja - 12-12-2007 at 11:44 PM
Please be extra careful with your parrots. They are a favorite of hawks,especially the amazons that are kept in the city as pets. They stand out like
a sore thumb, as their natural defense comes from being in flocks and being able to blend into the canopy. To keep yor parrot outside its cage in baja
may seem nice you are certainly tempting fate especially if your bird was already taken once. Keeping the birds outside in cages is bad also as
preying animals are smart and will often tag team a bird scaring it from one end of the cage to the other where one or more preditors are waitng to
grab a leg and start literally eating away. You may come out to find your bird bleeding and missing a leg or a wing. All done THROUGH the cage.Paulina - 12-13-2007 at 09:06 AM
Thank vacaenbaja,
We keep Gracie indoors with us. The only time she goes out on the patio is when we are on the patio too. We were standing right there with her when
the hawk swooped on her. We watch her "like a Hawk" now too! (bajajudy, I liked that)
We joke that the hawk probably would have brought her back after getting her to his nest. She's a naughty bird.
P<*)))><CaboRon - 12-13-2007 at 09:59 AM
Sorrry about your loss.... I have been thinking of getting parakeets my self.... luckely I haven´t seen any hawks in downtown La Paz.
CaboRonPaulina - 12-13-2007 at 11:47 AM
Very good story Pompano. Our daughter Cody would LOVE it. Gracie doesn't like Cody, stalks her when ever she can. Cody is often asking for taxidermy
lessons, or for permission to put Gracie outside to be hawk bait. Here is a photo that Cody took while trapped on the patio bench by Gracie, who was
waiting for her to put her toes down...Gracie marched back and forth saying, "Get chew, get chew, get chew". (get you!)
She is also very good at saying, "Bad bird".
[Edited on 13-12-2007 by Paulina]vandenberg - 12-13-2007 at 01:52 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by Paulina
...Gracie marched back and forth saying, "Get chew, get chew, get chew". (get you!)
Get chew!!!
In my bird book translater it means that the critter is wanting for some Copenhagen.bajajudy - 12-29-2007 at 05:06 PM
I knew I had a pic of this guy somewhere
This was taken a few years ago but it is definitely the same kind of hawk.
windgrrl - 12-30-2007 at 08:55 AM
So sorry about your birds. We have hawks living close by all year. I'll stop teasing my c-ckatiel LuLu and Love Bird Gus that they are easy
pickings...(from our kitchen window):
[img][/img]BajaHawk - 12-30-2007 at 10:25 AM
Pic of Hawk on cage is Cooper's Hawk - for sure. They speicalize in eating birds. Sorry for your loss, I can relate.Woooosh - 12-30-2007 at 02:23 PM
I have two Kestrel Falcons (Paco and Margarita) that I rescued last year froma guy selling them on the beach. They didn't teven have feathers yet and
had fallen from the nest. They did so well I built them a flight aviary and they had one offspring this summer that I'll release back into the wild in
the spring. I buy most of their food on line (frozen mice and quail) but also have a sparrow trap to catch live ones for them so they can
hunt/survivie in the wild if they need to. I've built and mounted a few Kestrel nesting boxes to help keep them in the area. A kesterel (AKA
Sparrow Hawk) is too small to catch anything much bigger than a mouse or small sparrow. MOst Kestrel actually prefer to hunt bugs. They are local to
the region and are part of the natural ecosystem. Let's live with what is here naturally before we decide to pull out the shotguns and kill
everything that flies.
Also. I'm NOT a falconer- as I don't participate in the hunting aspect of the sport. Motivating falc0ons to hunt and then return to you is all about
weight control. I'm not comfortable depriving food as motivation (ask my 125 pound blind lab) so I prefer to just handle, educate others and enjoy
them at home- without taking them out to hunt.Osprey - 12-30-2007 at 02:29 PM
Woosh, we have lots of kestrals around my place so I get to observe up close. More than once I have seen adult oriols diving/attacking kestrals on
nearby rooftops. I haven't researched it but this tells me kestrals also eat nesting chicks and/or their eggs. Am I right about that?Woooosh - 12-30-2007 at 02:44 PM
I'm not surprised the Orioles attack Kestrels- they are small and don't have the killing power of larger falcons. Kestrels usually fall prey to the
larger hawks themselves- which is why I have a such a soft spot for them. I wouldn't doubt they'll eat baby chicks of any type from a nest though-
such is nature. I haven't seen them take any interest in eggs themselves. If I can figure out how to post a pic or two of my birds- I will.
My female kestrel
Woooosh - 12-30-2007 at 02:50 PM
Here's a pic of my female Kestrel.
[Edited on 12-30-2007 by Woooosh]Cypress - 12-30-2007 at 02:51 PM
The key to survival is altitude for those raptors, the key to survival for us is attitude.
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