See that guy over there? That’s a picture of what I’ve tentatively identified* as a Cooper’s Hawk, who’s decided that our little backyard is his happy hunting ground. (*ID based on markings, coloring on back, leg color, and habit…namely, eating little birds.)
I took that picture through the screen in our living room. The hawk, who’s taken up residence in our back yard, has been using our deck as a launching pad to chase our little birds. A couple of nights ago I noticed a lot of blue feathers in the grass. Someone was having a meal. Here’s the biggest evidence that I have that he’s around: We were going through about 20 lbs. of premium bird food a week. When Mr. Cooper’s Hawk showed up we dove down to about 5 lbs. of birdseed a week. And now it seems the demand is tailing off to none. Ugh.
We had such cute little birds in our feeders. The black-capped chickadees were all over. So were the house sparrows and goldfinches. I saw a downy woodpecker the other day. Now all we have is this bad boy and some feathers on the ground.
From what I read, you have to just stop feeding for a few days. And when the hawk’s source of little birdies dries up, he leaves. It’s a pretty bird, but give me my little guys back any day.
