The previous entry about the pigeons reminded me of the hawks. I'd forgotten about them. Back when Jay was healthy, we had a big bird feeder off the deck, which lead to lots of songbirds and a thundering herd of chipmunks in the back yard. I got to know the chipmunks well enough to name them - the dominant male, Stubs, had half a tail, and so on.
One year, a pair of red-tailed hawks took up residence in a tall pine at the end of the yard, at the top of the slope down to the pond and farmland. One of them would perch all day at the very top of the tree, which distressed me. I was afraid for my songbirds and chipmunks.
The hawk, however, didn't seem too interested in the small birds, and the chipmunks had an alert system and plenty of brush to hide in. But when the hawk saw a larger bird coming across the fields, he (or she?) would fly up high and circle the slope, waiting.
The woods beside the house were full of nesting crows (not ravens, crows! The ravens live over by the swamp), who were also apparently distressed by the hawk. It was like the crows were lurking, waiting for the opportunity. When the circling hawk looked just about ready to stoop, the whole mob of crows would burst out of the woods and attack. They'd take turns swooping in and hitting the hawk's back. There'd be this big double figure 8 loop of crows, one after another, pow! pow! pow! at the hawk, cawing and whooping and laughing the whole time. Sometimes the hawk actually flew upside-down, with his talons up, trying to fend off the crows. Nobody got hurt - but the crows made hunting difficult.
The hawk family didn't come back the next year.
I'm wondering now if maybe it was my neighbor's pigeons that attracted the hawk. The crows may have saved some racers.
~~ Silk
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