Howdy and happy new year VAbirders!
The winter season brings raptors to the woods and our garden each year, so
much so that I call our place Raptor Ridge during that time period. Buteos
have been skimpy this year however, only 2 Red-tailed Hawks and 1
Red-shouldered Hawk so far. I noted the second Red-tailed, an immature,
only this morning thanks to it being worried by 4 Crows in a very noisy
manner. The Red-tailed hung on though, and the Crows finally tired of
their game and flew off. I'm hoping it will stay with us, for in previous
winters we've always had a Red-tailed "in residence." The pleasure of
watching a beautiful Red-tailed in the yard has helped me through many a
dreary winter.
Accipiter activity has been brisk and constant. At present there are 2
Cooper's Hawks and 2 Sharpies around. All these accipiters patrolling the
area has resulted in fewer birds at our feeders. While I'm saving money on
seed and suet, I miss watching the feeder birds. Mrs. P and Klutzy, our
pair of Pileateds, have been dodging Cooper's hawk attacks, quickly hiding
behind tree trunks or under limbs while the Coop's sharp eyes survey the
scene for a hint of Pileated. Watching Klutzy "frozen" under a limb hiding
from the Coop upstairs, I can only imagine he must be holding his breath
for fear the Coop will hear him breathing. One time a Coop was so
insistent in his harassment of Klutzy that Klutzy finally retreated into a
hole in the "Pileated tree," the Sycamore that sits along the creek in the
woods. Later, after the Coop gave up and flew off, I noticed Klutzy
working on the hole, making it a little bigger. Perhaps he decided that
with Coops in the neighborhood, he'd better have a comfortable "bomb
shelter" to dive into when the heat was on.
When the Coops aren't pestering Pileateds they are testing each other. A
battle for turf has become apparent over the last several days with
Cooper's hawks chasing each other about right outside our windows. From
20' away I study them and watching them, I am in awe of their tenacity and
power. They make me feel so small and insignificant.
Here in our winter garden, raptors rule.
Lori Markoff
Vienna
Fairfax County
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