Warning: this bucket contains graphic images of a hawk at lunch. Some people may find them upsetting.
Our little piece of heaven recently grew by 0.4 acres. The developer that wiped out the neighboring woods and built a house on the remaining bare plain was kind enough to sell us the piece of land we’ve been using as our yard for the last 15 years. They were extremely accommodating and we really appreciated their willingness to part with the parcel. And, just because schadenfreude is soooo tasty, they are already having problems with drainage, exactly as half a dozen neighbors told them they would. (I know, I know — bitchy, bitchy. ;) )
Since the woods were cleared, we’ve noticed a change in the birds we attract. There are more individual birds but fewer species, especially of the native sparrows. It’s now an event to see a white-throated sparrow though we have house sparrows by the truckload. I haven’t seen a white-crowned sparrow since 2015.
Certain birds, we attract more of than before — cardinals, titmice and juncos. This past weekend we had an entire conclave of cardinals. I counted 3 females and at least 5 males, gorgeous creatures. We also seem to have more downy woodpeckers, though I’m pretty sure they are last summer’s chicks still hanging out with the parents.
Given the increase in warm bodies, if not different species, it’s hardly surprising we’ve also seen an increase in predator activity. We have a new feral cat wandering the property that looks just like the black and white kitty we brought indoors a few years ago. I only hope he’s as good at catching voles as Emily was.
A year or so ago, I mentioned we had a Cooper’s hawk (Accipiter cooperii) hanging around and being mobbed by our other avian visitors. While I don’t know if it’s the same bird, we still see one around fairly often and even more so since the field of vision opened up so abruptly. Just a couple of weeks ago, one slammed into the house as it nabbed a chipmunk from the sidewalk. I thought Cooper’s mostly stuck with small birds but it appears rodents are acceptable as well.
Saturday, New Year’s Eve morning, I slept late. We had nothing planned for the day except shopping for critter food and possibly a late brunch. Eventually, I crawled out of bed and into the shower. I was about halfway through when I heard the thunder of feet in the hallway but since no one started yelling for me, I ignored it. Darling Spouse often chases Gracie the Wonder Pug all over the house for no better reason than to wind her up and make her bark. Well, what else are dogs for? Or spouses for that matter? :)
By the time I was out and dried and dressed, I’d missed the show, in spite of his efforts. Lucky for me, Darling Spouse is quick with a camera. All these shots were taken out of windows and the first 2 shots are a little blurry as the camera wanted to focus on the stick instead of the bird.
Shortly after Hubby snapped these shots, Mr. Hawk got fed up with the paparazzi and took his meal elsewhere. No doubt he’ll be back later in the week.
I have read about people taking down their feeders once a predator bird has been drawn in to such an easy buffet. I can understand feeling protective about the birds that frequent your space. I know I felt a bit indignant when the damn thing flew off with my chipmunk! But in the end, the predators have to eat too, and they perform a service by weeding out the sick and the weak (and the just plain oblivious.)
I remember reading somewhere, might have been here, about someone who would bring home an entire deer carcass and, after taking what they wanted, leave it in a back field for the eagles. Not that much different from a sunflower seed feeder, really, except for the ewwww factor.
How about you folks? What wild predators do you see at your place? Are you OK with wild predators raiding your feeders? (Uh, please don’t bring up the feral cat problem — that’s a whole ‘nother bucket and can get uncivilized very quickly. Thanks! :) )
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