And Big Birds, Too

Really Big Bird

The baby Hummingbirds we saw last week aren't the only birds in the area, of course.

We had a hawk land in our bird bath a couple of days ago; it drank some water and sat there for a while fluffing its feathers.  The other birds that normally patronize our feeders and water had all cleared out of the area, so the hawk had the whole yard to itself.

Unfortunately, this was the best picture I could get of it, but it's clear it was a pretty large bird.  It looks to me like it might be a juvenile Red-Shouldered Hawk.

We've had Red-Shouldered Hawks working the canyon regularly in the past, so it would not be unusual to have a nest in the area.  We often hear their high pitched "kee-rah, kee-rah" cry as they hunt varmints in the canyon.

Naturally, the crows that hang out in the canyon aren't pleased at all to have this bird in what they consider their bailiwick.  I saw the hawk sail into the upper end of the canyon, then quickly fly back out, hotly pursued by several crows diving at it.

We're happy to have it, though, and it's welcome to all the gophers and ground squirrels it can eat.

 

Another Reason For The Squirrels To Be Nervous

Red Shouldered Hawk

This isn't the greatest picture of it, but this Red Shouldered Hawk has been working the canyon behind our house for a while now.

We had been seeing and hearing the hawk for a while as it circled over the canyon, but we weren't sure whether it was a Red Shouldered Hawk, a Red Tail or a Cooper's Hawk.  We finally made the identification as a Red Shouldered Hawk after we viewed Bert Kersey's excellent video Bring On The Birds.  Bert's video has very clear photography and very entertaining commentary on many of the birds found in the San Diego area.

The section of that video on hawks included audio of the territorial "Kee-aah"cry of the Red Shouldered Hawk.  Just after we shot this picture, this hawk launched itself off the wire into the canyon with the same cry, which you can hear at http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/red-shouldered_hawk/sounds.

Since Red Shouldered Hawks mostly eat small mammals, as well as lizards, snakes and amphibians, the  remaining California Ground Squirrels have yet another reason to be nervous, in addition to the Gray Fox lurking in the shrubbery.