anyone have hawk problem?

[pigeon_turbo]

last week I let my racers out to fly....later in the day i discovered that a hawk freshly killed one of my youngsters and was in the process of eating it about 10 feet away from me in my yard! anyways there was nothing left to do but get angry....that was the first time one of my birds fell prey to a hawk-lucky day for him....do any of you guys have constant hawk problem? or maybe even falcons?

[Lovebirds]

different areas have different problems. We live in the middle of the woods. We were told when we moved here the hawks would tear up us. We do see a few fly over once in a while but only one time in the past 6 months did a hawk actually chase our birds and we've never had one hit our birds while loft flying. (KNOCK ON WOOD!! LOL). Our race season is over and our birds won't fly again until around Feb. or next year.

[Joel]

I lost a young bird last week to a hawk. Three birds were let out and i was watching from a window when the hawk hit. One bird flew into my garage and slammed into a wall almost knocking him out but he seems ok now. The other two (young birds about 1 1/2 months old) scattered and i was sure they were lost. It was only their 3rd time out. When i returned home from work one found its way back. The hawks are everywhere!! Mine are locked down till Spring!

Joel

[WhiteWingsCa]

I posted this a while ago in the General Discussions...but it is worth repeating, so I've copied it to here:

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Regarding the problem of Hawks in your neighbourhood....A few things I have learned:

1. If you have lots of wild birds in your neighbourhood...especially blue jays and crows, there is a good chance there are no hawks living nearby. Blue Jays won't nest in the same neighbourhood as a hawk, and crows hate hawks...will chase and harrass them, so generally hawks look for a more peaceful place to raise their young. ALSO, if you hear the crows making a big fuss, look around before letting your birds out.....they might be in the process of chasing off a hawk.

2. If you have no crows, and your neighbours (or yourself) has lots of bird feeders out, it COULD attract the hawks...they learn that the wild birds come to the same spot every day (and wild birds, if you watch them, will come and feed at almost the same time every day)....and it's like hanging out a "Free Diner" sign....

3. Hawks are smart. They learn that say, 10 am is mealtime, if that is when you always let your birds out. So, don't let your birds out to fly at the same time everyday. You can put them out at 10 for a day or two, then switch to 2 pm for a couple, then 5 pm, etc.

4. Redtails very seldom bother your birds. They prefer rodents, and really aren't quick enough to catch a pigeon (but they CAN, if they try real hard). It is Coopers Hawks that are the WORST! I've heard Goshawks are pretty bad too. Peregrine Falcons are supposed to be a big problem for hawks in the UK....but from what I've heard up here, they have a pretty good source of wild prey, so don't often bother the pigeons.

5. Hawks migrate....so even if you don't have a hawk problem right now, be careful during spring/fall migration time. It might be safer to keep your birds inside during that period (we do). Migrating birds care nothing about staggered flying times...if they're in the neighbourhood, and hungry, pidgies watch out!

6. A hawk will grab a bird, then drop to the ground with it, usually nearby. If you can get to it, and chase the hawk off, you can sometimes save your bird (it isn't necessarily killed outright by the grab). Really! I know people who have done this, and we have a hen who managed to escape a hawk grab.....her back and side were pretty torn up, but she survived, and is happily nesting in our loft now....

7. Pigeons are smart too! (as if I have to tell anyone here that... ) Often, once a flock has been hit by a hawk, they learn how to avoid them...usually by flying really high, above the hawk, or by darting inside the minute they see one fly overhead.

8. In the U.S., it is illegal to shoot or trap a hawk.

9. Coopers Hawks are not timid...they will sit in a tree, waiting to attack, even if you are there. However, by standing near your loft/landing board while your birds are out, it might make them think twice. This spring, the birds were inside, and I looked out my window....and a Coopers was sitting on the landing board, looking inside the aviary. I could swear he was saying "come out, my pretties....".

10. If you have lots of trees around your loft, it is a great place for a Coopers to sit and hide...then they dive down out of the tree, and scoop up a bird before you know what's happened. If you can, situate your loft in the open.

[Psion]

Most people don't fly their birds in the winter because of hawks. I quit flying my rollers about a month ago. Actually the night I decided to stop, I was letting them out for their last flight and a small peregrine hit one of my rollers. First hawk/falcon problem ever. I guess I stopped just in time. The roller managed to get away though somehow - she was home about an hour later with only claw marks and scratches. She's still here now, and doing great. It was something to see though. Glad it didn't get her. But Whitewingsca is right, once they find a place they stick there. I saw that one for about a week afterwards, but I guess he figured out I wasn't letting my birds out again. No sign of him now - I've even let the rollers out a few times since, just to stretch their wings. Anyways, hope I helped.

Nick

[pidjin]

hi i do have some hawk problems but i have a crow call i bought from the sporting good store or if i forget i use my mouth to act as a crow call. this usually scares the hawk away before it can plan a attack. my birds are not bothered by the crow call anymore because my best bird was saved by some crows in the past. the crow was like a guide that guided its way until he was safe and then left, the crows in my area are always welcome even if there is no hawks in the area. so once i see a hawk i just call the crows with my call and within minutes the crows would be in my yard circling.

[flighter]

Hey pidjin,
I think that is awesome that you can call the crows. I have alot of crows nesting around my house and they stay all year round, even during the winter. I once raised a baby crow that had fallen out of its nest and had just been walking around for days, probably with out any food or water. The parents had abandonded(spelling?) it because it looked like a mummy bird. I thought it was going to die but it didnt and it became a nice, beautiful, strong, healthy bird and was later released back into the wild. This crow I called Onix and it lives with about 50 other crows behind my house in the woods and comes down everyday when I go out to feed my chickens. So you see I have very few hawk problems myself because of this beautiful bird, for it attracts other crows and I show the bird my gratitude by feeding it everyday.


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moe