Tom Marko wrote:

> It appears accipters are becoming more and more common in surburban 
> Montgomery County.  Yesterday's juvenile Cooper's Hawk was replaced by an 
> adult Sharp-shinned Hawk chasing sparrows....<

I also had a Sharp-shinned Hawk chase sparrows in our backyard this morning.  After a very birdy early morning, all the birds disappeared from the feeders for an hour or so.  When I walked out on our back deck to check things out, an immature Sharp-shinned Hawk flew from close by, where it had been perching, and into a neighbor's bamboo thicket.  Instead of leaving, as I would have expected given my presence, it flew back into the tree to a higher perch, providing a five-minute period for close observation (for me and her).

It then flew off to a tree about 100 yards away, where it perched again for several minutes, looking back toward our feeders.  Several hours later, a Sharp-shinned Hawk was perched high in a tree in a completely different direction, but also able to see our feeders from its new location (if it was the same).

In the last two months, I've observed Cooper's Hawks (both immatures) also either invading or scouting our feeders/yard.

It was a peculiar thing, watching this bird seem to attack the thick bamboo itself, and hearing the panic-stricken chriping 'squeals' of the House Sparrows.  There was no way possible for it to reach them, but the impact must have been frightening, as it hit the stems and leaves with a very audible slap from its wings.

Fascinating.

Good hun...uh, birding,

--
Frank Powers
Glen Echo, MD
Montgomery County
frank*powers @ com*cast.net


> It appears accipters are becoming more and more common in surburban 
> Montgomery County.  Yesterday's juvenile Cooper's Hawk was replaced by an 
> adult Sharp-shinned Hawk chasing sparrows in the back yard.  The more the 
> merrier as far as reducing the local House Sparrow population, which are 
> cleaning out the feeders in no time.
> 
> Tom Marko
> Olney, MD
>