Special guest at the bird feeders

[johntheplinker]

Happened to look out at our bird feeders yesterday and this fellow was out there.

Sorry about the crappy pics, had to shoot though 3 layers of glass and a screen. These were taken using my phone, regular camera the pics were even worse.
Anyway, yep, its a Redtail Hawk. He wasn't eating seed, he got a mouse or chipmunk that had come in to get the seeds on the ground. It was kinda funny, the other birds were still coming in and eating while he was munching down, totally ignoring the hawk. I watched him for a while and after he left I went out to see what he had caught. All that was left was a couple tufts of fur.

 

[OWGEM]

When we fill our feeders we say we are feeding the hawk bait. Looks to be the same at your house!

 

[johntheplinker]

When we fill our feeders we say we are feeding the hawk bait. Looks to be the same at your house!

Yeah, we've had a Cooper's Hawk show up a couple of times over the last couple of years, to chase down some lunch. That one has a definite taste for doves. The Redtail is a resident who's being hanging around with his mate since last year. Usually they're hanging out around the hayfields across road, this is the first time one of them caught something in the yard that I know about.

 

[jeepfreek]

We get these parrots in Hammond. It looks ridiculous when you have a flock of parrots in a tree with snow all around. Happened a few days ago but didn't get the picture. Thought we were going nuts hearing the screeches but there they were. Started showing up about 5 years ago in numbers. At first we thought they were someones that got loose but then they started showing up in the winter. Really odd.

 

[Dave Doehrman]

At first we thought they were someones that got loose but then they started showing up in the winter. Really odd.

San Francisco has a huge colony of wild parrots that live there year round. I also read that Chicago has a couple big flocks of parrots that learned to survive downtown, keeping warm in the winter by roosting in or around the rooftop heat exchangers or roof ventilators. They feed on corn, bird feed and peanuts that people put out in the parks and rely on handouts from backyard bird feeders.

Maybe these guys are looking for food somewhere besides the People's Republik of Illinois.

 

[jeepfreek]

Some of the south side of Chicago parks have large flocks of them. They have also been spotted roosting in the transformers to stay warm or something like that. Just too weird to see a bunch of parrots flying around your house in the middle of winter.

 

[pwoller]

That's really cool. If the hawk is a problem and is chasing the smaller birds away I've read if you take away the seed for a while they will move on. I guess its like road kill just easier to hunt them there then in the fields.

 

[karl77]

there is a parrot colony in hegewisch area.

 

[johntheplinker]

That's really cool. If the hawk is a problem and is chasing the smaller birds away I've read if you take away the seed for a while they will move on. I guess its like road kill just easier to hunt them there then in the fields.

Nah, he isn't a problem. Kinda enjoy seeing them around actually. Saw him again this morning perched in a tree. Lots of little birds feeding and he wasn't even attempting to get them.

 

[davebradley]

I tell my little ones that the hawk gives the squirrels rides for free. Weeeeeee they go. We have a couple hawks nearby.