Hassled by Hawks
TW: Nature and predators
Did you see the trigger warning? I just want to make sure. I won’t include more gory details than necessary.
Ok.
I found the lower half of a dead rabbit in my back yard yesterday. This was very troubling to me because I like to watch the rabbits eat the grass and weeds. I always say hi to them when I go outside. This was one of the younger rabbits that was born last spring, so it’s extra sad.
Based on the evidence, I assumed that a red tailed hawk was the perpetrator. They moved into our neighborhood a few years ago. I assume that human expansion or climate change has forced them to relocate to the suburbs.
I did some internet research and found that hawks will often leave their meals and come back for them later. I hoped that it would return and take away the remains. I decided to wait until today to give the hawk some time.
I left the house this morning to go to the dentist. The hawk was outside with its meal and I accidentally scared it away!
I went to the dentist, hoping that the situation would be resolved by the time that I got home.
It wasn’t.
I started to clean up the rabbit. As soon as I started messing with its kill, a hawk screeched at me from somewhere overhead. I looked up in time to see it fly over my yard, about 30 feet up. Then a second hawk screeched from somewhere behind me. The situation had just escalated. I was outnumbered by two hawks, angry that I was stealing their prey.
At this point, I said, “Nope!” and went inside.
I recruited my wife to help. I asked her to keep an eye on the sky. I didn’t want any hawks sneaking up on me. She got the hose and stood guard while I got to work. Would a hose dissuade an angry hawk?
Hawks are astonishingly powerful butchers. There were lots of bone fragments scattered around: pieces of spine, skull and more. Picking up the rabbit was sad, gross and interesting at the same time. As a suburban grocery store shopper, I don’t encounter this side of nature very often. Hawks have to eat too, I suppose.
The hawks started screaming at us while I worked. One was in a tree on the hill. The other was on the chimney of a house two doors up the street. We were in between them. Our numbers were now evenly matched. They didn’t come close to us, but they certainly told us how upset they were.
I took my dog outside a little while later. There were four turkeys in the yard. I see turkeys all the time in my neighborhood. I have seen roving gangs of turkey numbering in the high twenties. But these four turkeys scared the hell out of me. I was watching for large birds and I found them. But the turkeys just walked away when they saw us. We’re on good terms with them.
As I write this, it has been a few hours since I cleaned up the yard. The hawks are still out there. They are very mad that I took their prey and they screech at me when I walk outside.
I couple years ago, I walked into the backyard with my dog. A hawk was sitting on the grass. I looked at him and he looked at me and we both fled. Nonetheless, they are scary up close. It was probably 3 feet tall. Here’s a picture of one sitting on the power lines outside my house:
Hawks are fascinating and scary at the same time. My dog is about 40 pounds, but I won’t let her outside by herself, just in case. If the hawks are hungry enough, they might try their chances.
I got a filling, cleaned up a carcass, got hassled by hawks and startled by turkeys today. Now I’m going to get new tires for the car. Its been quite a day…