Hawk Likes our Bird Feeder

We've had bird feeders in our yard for many years. Sometimes as many as fifty birds might be enjoying them at once. All that activity has drawn more than birds. Squirrels, chipmunks, opossums and raccoons show up regularly too.

Then there are the predators.  Cats are most common. They are either strays dumped in our neighborhood or callous neighbors who let their cats roam freely. They usually don't stay around too long as they get squashed in the road by passing cars. I guess that's a Darwin moment for the owners.

We also get the natural predators and one seems to have become quite bold.


This hawk has been around for quite a while. When he's (I don't know if he is a he or she but I call him he) in the trees waiting for a meal, I can walk right by and he just looks at me. I've seen him take birds, usually doves, when they are in the driveway pecking at seeds on the ground. He'll swoop down and in a flash, the bird is gone. I've found evidence that he's taken other birds too. Usually, a wing or just a bunch of feathers will be somewhere on the property.

While it is sad that the birds who find a good meal at our house get eaten by an apex predator, we find solace in the fact that these magnificent birds are finding some of their meals at our bird feeders too, just a leg up on the food chain.

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