“. . .the world is full of signs and wonders that come, and go, and if you are lucky you might see them. Once, twice. Perhaps never again.” ― Helen Macdonald, H is for Hawk

I have to tell you about the squirrel nest. I mentioned it before because I was concerned about where they built it, but now I have a new concern. Predators. A few weeks ago I watched in fascination/horror as a hawk descended on the nest and began tearing it up. It's too far away to tell if it was a bloody food frenzy, but I spared a moment to contemplate the wonders of nature.
We've been hearing a kak-kak-kak-kak bird noise for a few weeks now. It sounds like a tropical bird escaped from the zoo, but I've come to learn it's a Cooper's Hawk. I know this because they've been hunting in the backyard all week. I have pictures!



I work alone, so my family is subjected to the equivalent of office gos, and this week the hot gos was all about hawks. Last week it was peaches, this week it's hawks. I thought we had a solo bird, but learned there were two. Then a third showed up. It turns out many breeds of hawk look alike. As I learned new bits of info, I relayed them to my workmates. I told them about every sighting and passed along kill counts. (Tony, Toni, and Howard get very noisy when they catch something) I explained the differences between Sharp Shinned and Cooper's hawks and speculated on why it was one and not the other. The blue eyes aren't common, making ID even harder.
Last night Wilson and I sat outside and listened for their calls. Most of the time they just sit in the trees, looking around. Then it happened. Kak-kak-kak-kak-kak. Once we locked the noises in our brains I went to the bird call websites until I found it. Cooper's. Boom. I knew it. Turns out they like to eat song birds in addition to squirrels. Just like the ones my lovely bride likes to feed. With our little garden, mini-orchard, bird feeders, and bird baths, we've inadvertently created a kill zone.
I relay this newfound info to my workmates. Just like I'm relaying it to you.
And just like you, I'm sure they are thrilled to hear it.
(I can almost hear the eye rolls from here. I get it.)
I'll leave you all alone now. After you listen the hawk noises.
The Cooper's kak-kak-kak is about 15 seconds in: https://youtu.be/OFHe3eJFGwo
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