Once the spring robin infestation calmed down* the birds around our house settled into their usual summer routine. The sparrows returned to their nest in the eave of my neighbor’s house, the wrens’ songs fill in the background and the blue jays continue to act as the neighborhood bullies. That is, until yesterday. My husband heard it first, this loud, raucous chorus of bird voices in the back yard. We stepped out onto the deck and there in our neighbor’s yard was a red-tailed hawk munching on a rabbit. (I know, ew!) What was really interesting though, was how all of the other birds kept screaming and diving at it trying to get it to move on. It totally didn’t care, though, even when they clearly made contact with it!
Obviously, being me, I didn’t try to get too close to the sucker. However, I took my camera and zoomed in the best I could to capture it where it was eating. The blur beside it is a blue jay, I believe. After quite a while, the hawk finally had enough of them ruining his meal and he took off. He landed first on the top of a telephone pole and then when they continued to pester him, he flew on. I know Disney worked hard to pretty up the whole circle of life deal, but I have to say that in flight, he was a lot more attractive than he was sitting on the ground munching on fluffy.
I hope your summer is going well and that you are at peace with whatever wildlife you share your territory.
*When the cat pictures didn’t work, my husband purchased something called ‘predator eyes’, reflective plastic disks with a stylized eye in the middle. Hung near every window on the first floor, the idiot robin finally moved on. (I later heard from a friend that an across the street neighbor had a robin problem but…)
I’m being told that Finding Rosey is going to be out this fall so more news as it becomes available! You can read about it as well as purchase the earlier books through the website. Just touch the button below!