small hawk helped me cut hay yesterday.

[alabama]

Seeing the pictures R2 posted of the hawk made me think about the small hawk that keep me company yesterday evening while cutting hay. I don’t know what kind of hawk it is but it was small with a gray head. The gray got just a little darker further back in the bird. I wanted to call it a chicken hawk but I am not sure.
This bird flew over the tractor most of the afternoon and dove down trying to catch some large flying grasshoppers that I disturbed. I have had red tail hawks hunt for rats before but never this close to the tractor. This hawk hovered into the wind about 15 feet over the tractor when I was headed into the wind but when I was cutting down wend he had to sort of circle around. I had a good time watching him. There weren’t many grasshoppers so I only saw him catch two or three, which he ate while flying and hunting for another. He had many misses.

[EastTexasGal]

Just got curious when you described your Hawk there. Around here I have only seen the red tailed hawk. I found this web site that was neat....just thought I would pass it along. http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/Red-tailed_Hawk.html

I have seen a darker hawk, when we went to a "Birds of Flight" program put on by the National Parks and Wildlife, sponsored by Coca Cola. It was the coolest show. So many birds that they would send in free flight over our heads and they would go back to the handler. The Eagle they had was blind and he would whistle to the bird and he would follow the whistle. All the birds they had were rescues.

Anyway...R2 see what you started??lol. I really did enjoy your pictures, always great to see other parts of the world.

Everyone have a great Hump Day!!

Easty

[HAY MAKER]

Yes Alabama,its funny what you will see in a hay field,we aint close to cuttin around here & never have had hawks around when I cut ,but they sure flock around when I plow,they are after field mice I plow up............good luck

[rustynail]

when i cut hay the purple martins will just about knock your hat off chasing the bugs that fly up. couple of years ago had a little red fox trailing the hay rake catching mice. that was about the funniest thing i ever saw, he would spot a mouse and then hunker down like a cat and jump four feet straight up in the air and come down on the mouse with all four feet, grab the mouse and throw it into the air and when it hit the ground grab it and eat him. this went on for hours that day.

G3

[Clarence]

I am not really a bird watcher. I think I could identify more birds years ago then I can now. I do think that birds and wildlife are things we should put on the inventory of our ranch or farm. Things that create interest. As for hawks, I have never tried to identify them, I know we have several different ones here. We have what I believe is the Swainson's Hawk here that will follow the tractor in the spring while I disk and dive down and pick up field mice or young rabbits when they are disturbed. They come here in April. I believe they have a 28 to 35 day incubation period, so have their young about the time we cut alfalfa here. They must start incubating after they only lay about two eggs as there are usually four young of different ages. The two larger ones seem to have big appitites as when the adults bring food they are the ones that get it. I suspect that the younger two do not usually survive. When they have their young they eat young rabbits and young pheasants. It appears that both the male and the female bring food to their young. These birds have a gray and brown back, with white breasts, but have a wide rust colored (sometimes orange or yellow) band on their upper breast.

While on the subject of birds, I will mention that today was the first I have seen of the Lark Bunting this year. I don't think they have begain nesting yet as both males and female were lined on the barb wire fence. These birds nest in colonies sometimes nests are only about 30 feet apart. They like to nest under tall plants. commonly the Leadplant, our leadplant here is just begining to get leaves so they may not nest for a while yet.

[Big Muddy rancher]

Clarence did you see the picture Soapweed posted in coffee shop under the soapweed heading?
Would that lizard been impailed on the Barbed wire by a Loggerhead Shrike?

[HAY MAKER]

[the_jersey_lilly_2000]

We've got a couple roadrunners that nest in the same place year after year. I've been tryin for a long time to get a picture of one of em, but never can be that fast. They are down the road a lil ways and around a curve, soon as ya round the curve nearly ever time you'll see one or the other. Sometimes both, but not often. I've even tried makin the curve with my camera in hand and ready...but they are still too fast.

[Mike]

Those smaller hawks can be ferocious for their size.

I have a friend who raises a couple of 100,000 quail each year in flight pens with nylon netting for cover. Those hawks swoop down and make the quail fly into the netting, then catch the quail, and eat them through the net.

Some of them are smaller than the quail.

[Denny]

[alabama]

I was looking at some pictures of chicken hawks and I don't think that was what i saw. I fust can't find it on the net. any help?

[EastTexasGal]

You didnt find it on that link I put up at the top of the post?? that was a neat site for birds.

Easty