Monday, December 31, 2012

Sunday: Sharp-shinned Hawk(s) vs Linny and Tom

The Sharp-shinned hawks, there are at least two of them, maybe three, tactics are evolving. They swoop in quick and if they don't get a song bird they take off right away. The assumption being they know Linny and Tom will be right out the door and on them. Before they would linger and try and get down in the bushes or intimidate a song bird to making a run for it. The only two known kills of the last two weeks have been chasing song birds into the windows, though they are well marked now, and catching the song birds when they fall to the porch and before they can recover. At 9a.m. comes the first attack, chased off by Tom, 10:30am there is a second again unsuccessful and chased off by Linny and Tom. A little after noon Tom sees a flurry outside the office window and hears a bird hit glass on the front porch. Throwing the front door open the Sharp-shinned takes flight and Tom rescues what appears to be a young House finch. The balance of the day between chasing off Sharp-shinned hawks Linny and Tom spend with the House finch. Towards the end of the day she appears to have recovered and they take her onto the front porch where they found her. She hops around some but is unable to fly. With Sharp-shinneds still prevalent they return to the office where she spends the night sleeping on some books. She likes Ray Bradbury.

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