[MDOsprey] Cooper's Hawk near the Lincoln Monument, 12/16
Jim Felley (irmss668@SIVM.SI.EDU)
Thu, 16 Dec 1999 14:30:26 -0500
I took my lunch hour to see what was about on the Mall,
especially near the Tidal Basin and the Lincoln Monument.
The Tidal Basin had Herring, Greater Black-backed, and
Ring-billed gulls, Double-crested Cormorants and a pair
of Pied-billed Grebes.
The area around the Monument was strangely silent.
The woods near the DC Veteran's Memorial were absolutely
devoid of birds.
A flock of Fish Crows (talking to each other) was
near the Lincoln Monument.
Herring and Ring-billed gulls were at Constitution
Gardens, as well as *beaucoup* Canada Geese.
When I reached the east side of the pond at the
Constitution Gardens, I found the (probable) reason for
the lack of land birds. here is what I saw:
Under a bunch of bushes stood an immature Cooper's
Hawk, hopping around and apparently eating *worms*! I
got a very close look at him (30 feet). After a bit he
(it was the size of a male) got tired of the snack, and
harassed a squirrel. He flew up into a tree, and spotted
some crows foraging on the grass. He took off for them,
skimming the ground, and the crows flew up. One was a
little slow, and the hawk was upon him. The crow uttered
a scream of terror ("eeek"--I have never heard this
sound from a crow!), but the hawk was only playing and
never touched the crow.
The hawk flew up into a tree, and the American Crows
(now easily identifiable) mobbed him. So he took off
after another one of the crows, and flew right on top of
the crow, matching it wing-beat for wing-beat and turn
for turn, for 30 feet at least!. Then the hawk broke
off, perched in a tree and relaxed. He never touched
the squirrel or any of the crows.
So much for the raw recital of facts, now for my
anthropomorphic interpretation: this was a bored and
well-fed hawk having some fun!
Not many birds, but the noon walk was memorable!
Jim
Jim Felley
Smithsonian Institution
irmss668@sivm.si.edu