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Old April 1st, 2011, 09:20 AM
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Back-yard adventure..

This morning a watched 2 Gracklers in the grass fighting,I guess it's normal,but I hate having wounded birds to take care of,so I scared them off..
2 minutes later a Hawk swooped down on one of themso,so much for me trying to interfere with nature.
I took a few pics,but my camera is not a good one,you can still kind of see the Hawk in the back and the Squirrel eating away with no problems...while the Hawk is tearing at the Grackler.
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Old April 1st, 2011, 09:30 AM
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stinky hawks...can't they eat while we're not lookin!!! cute squirrel!
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Old April 1st, 2011, 12:28 PM
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You have to admit, though, chico, that it's a beautiful hawk! Looks like a little Sharp-tailed Hawk. It's hard to watch, but hawks have to eat, too.
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Old April 1st, 2011, 12:51 PM
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How can you tell Hazel?

Chico is your birdbath on a "living tree stump" ?
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Old April 1st, 2011, 04:22 PM
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chico cute squirrel *S* Is that stool placed there so the squirrels can get a drink from the heated bird bath?
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Old April 1st, 2011, 04:36 PM
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No TQ,it's for me to meditate onjust kidding!
Actually we have it there,because Rocky loved to lay under it,I guess we can take it away now
The Squirrels jump up,don't need a stool.

3xm.no it is not,it has a concrete base,but we planted a Virginia Creeper beneath it,the same stuff that grows on the back of the house.

I LOVE any birds,I just don't like to watch them kill another bird..it so happened this morning,that I was looking at the Gracklers when the Hawk swooped down.
He had really nice fan-shaped tail-feathers.
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Old April 1st, 2011, 07:38 PM
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The tail was rounded, chico? Or flared, but flat on the end? If it was rounded, it might be a Cooper's instead of a Sharpie. Cooper's are bigger than Sharpies, too.

MMM, my first impression was that it was a sharpie because of the coloration, the long tail, and because I got the impression from the second pic that the face was kinda flat (for a hawk ) like a Sharpie's. Both hawks will take birds the size of a grackle, though, so it could be either. A sharpie would be a little smaller than a crow, a Cooper's a little bigger, and that might be your best way to tell which it was if you can remember the size, chico. Both would probably be pretty common there this time of year, as well. I had a sharpie sail through here this morning.
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Old April 1st, 2011, 08:18 PM
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That's really great, Chico2, having wildlife like that in your own back yard. Are you right in the middle of a town or close to the edge?The squirrel is super cute. I'll have to Google Grackler to find out what sort of bird the hawk got, but must say I love the name Grackler, it's unusual. Did you have to tie the creeper onto the base of your birdbath or does that one hang on pretty well? They look nice with something around them I think. So far I've only tried flowers.
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Old April 1st, 2011, 08:23 PM
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The Grackle is not one of my fave birds, even though they are attractive....they are total bullies around a feeder.
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Old April 1st, 2011, 08:36 PM
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gf,,,grackle is a cow bird I think and it's like a starling. I'm rusty in my bird id's though. Hazel would know.
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Old April 1st, 2011, 08:39 PM
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I believe that the Grackle has the blue/purple glossy head and the cowbird has the plain brown head.
Starlings have lots of other stuff going on; streak and specks, etc.
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Old April 2nd, 2011, 07:13 AM
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The Grackle,is commonly called a Black Bird,the Cow-Bird(not yet arrived)is much smaller,with a clearly defined Brown head.

They are not my favorites,since they lay their eggs in other birds nest,often Sparrow nests,with the result,Sparrow-babies will not get enough food since the Cowbird babies are much larger

The Robins here,are singing non-stop even at night,LOVE IT,I suppose they are desperately seeking a mate..

I really cannot say,there is a bird I don't like,they all have a purpose and a right to live.

GF,I will check if I have a pic of the bird-bath in my album.
We took shoots from the vine on the house and planted a few around the BB years ago. You cannot kill a Virginia Creeper
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Old April 2nd, 2011, 07:16 AM
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A question to Bird-Experts.
All winter we have Starlings,but at this time of the year,they disappear,only to come back later with hundreds a noisy babies in tow???
Where do they go??
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Old April 2nd, 2011, 07:21 AM
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Oh chico, nature can be so cruel and yes, it is very hard to watch . Perhaps looking at the "good" that this grackle's life wasn't wasted, it helped another piece of our wonderful nature survive
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Old April 2nd, 2011, 07:52 AM
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Yes L4H,that 's how I look at it,I just don't like to be a witness,the Hawk kills to survive,while the human hunter kills for the pleasure of killing..
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Old April 2nd, 2011, 07:55 AM
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Nature is harsh..but it is swift. Animals do not let suffering linger...like us humans do.

I saw this once and I had a hard time with it. I know how you feel.
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Old April 2nd, 2011, 07:58 AM
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BM,I've seen it in my yard several times,especially with"my"Pigeons,I only hope they don't suffer too much
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Old April 2nd, 2011, 08:08 AM
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BenMax is right, the animals don't suffer as carnivores are swift in their kill. I know, still so very hard to see
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Old April 2nd, 2011, 09:55 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bina View Post
The Grackle is not one of my fave birds, even though they are attractive....they are total bullies around a feeder.
I just Googled the Grackle and agree, a handsome bird, Bina, but with that eye and beak I hardly need telling they'd be bullies. On the site I just looked at they say to scatter feed on the ground so the Grackles go to that and leave the small birds alone at the feeder. I wish we had the Grackle here too. Their call is rather unique.
Chico2, this link was the first thing I read about Virginia Creeper , the guy has a great sense of humour and I've decided I won't go looking for a plant, thank you very much. I'd still love to see a photo of it on the BB though.

http://www.beginner-gardening.com/virginiacreeper.html
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Old April 2nd, 2011, 01:07 PM
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The Hawks you have in your area Chico are really bold....I know this is not the first time you have seen one of your birds devoured by Hawks....I know it's nature but it is not nice to see.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tundra_Queen View Post
gf,,,grackle is a cow bird I think and it's like a starling. I'm rusty in my bird id's though. Hazel would know.
A Grackle isn't a Cowbird TQ, a Grackle is larger.....this is a pic of a male brown headed Cowbird.

Name:  brown-headed_cowbird.jpg
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Normally they return the same time as the Grackles and Redwings but this year I haven't seen any
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Old April 2nd, 2011, 04:12 PM
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Yes GF,the Virginia Creeper is really invasive,but you have to control it..

Chris,I think the reason the Hawks are bold,is because of all the big mature trees around,I live in an old area of Oakville and I think they know there will be a lot of birds at the feeders,especially the Pigeons that come every afternoon.
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Old April 2nd, 2011, 06:06 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chico2 View Post

Chris,I think the reason the Hawks are bold,is because of all the big mature trees around,I live in an old area of Oakville and I think they know there will be a lot of birds at the feeders,especially the Pigeons that come every afternoon.
We have a lot of trees too Chico....with the exception of one feeder the others are under trees, therefore not so much in the open as yours...the Hawks never seem to bother the birds here...they are normally going for the mice etc in the fields.
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Old April 2nd, 2011, 06:39 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chico2 View Post
A question to Bird-Experts.
All winter we have Starlings,but at this time of the year,they disappear,only to come back later with hundreds a noisy babies in tow???
Where do they go??
Chico...they all come up here! LOL I am chasing them away from the feeders all summer so that the small birds can get some food. I don't use any platform feeders in the summer because the starlings just drain it. I use the tube feeders instead until the starlings leave in the fall.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris21711 View Post
The Hawks you have in your area Chico are really bold....I know this is not the first time you have seen one of your birds devoured by Hawks....I know it's nature but it is not nice to see.



A Grackle isn't a Cowbird TQ, a Grackle is larger.....this is a pic of a male brown headed Cowbird.

Attachment 73076

Normally they return the same time as the Grackles and Redwings but this year I haven't seen any
Thanks Chris! Lovely pic of the cow bird too. *S*
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Old April 2nd, 2011, 06:55 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hazelrunpack View Post
MMM, my first impression was that ... I had a sharpie sail through here this morning.
I am simply in AWE of your sight.

And thanks for the edumecation! In my old nabe we had both falcons and hawks ~ of all the birds, I always enjoy watching their flight patterns.
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Old April 2nd, 2011, 07:55 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mummummum View Post
I am simply in AWE of your sight.
Aw, thanks, MMM.... And that and $3.60 will get you a gallon of gas today!

But seriously, you can tell a lot even from vague impressions--color, tail bands, posture--and what would likely be there this time of year. The color, posture, tail bands and the fact that it took a bird suggest either Cooper's or Sharpie. And if you look closely at the second pic...I think I can vaguely make out that the head is raised and perhaps facing forward. I just get the impression that the face is a little flatter and the beak maybe a little lower, even though it's fuzzy. Which would make it more likely a Sharpie. (Yes, I know...a bit of a stretch...just not that much detail. ) If it were about the size of a crow, then it would more likely be a Cooper's. Hard to tell from the pic, though, how big it is compared to the squirrel.

See? Not so much madness....there's some method there, too. Hawks are fascinating critters!
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Old April 2nd, 2011, 08:04 PM
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Not even if I squint and look sideways through my eyelashes will I understand your post Hazel.

But, thanks for trying...
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