I have been noticing small hawks around my bird feeders for the past several years. Occasionally I would see one perched in a tree or find a pile of dove feathers and I sort of figured them as opportunists that were passing through and took advantage of a free lunch. I narrowed the species down to a Cooper’s Hawk after consulting with the natural history specialist at the museum where I work. I thought it was nice that such interesting species would be in the neighborhood. I live in a post-WW II neighborhood and always considered such species as living away from civilization and not actually considering that they might actually be local residents. But when you think about it there are plenty of now mature trees in the neighborhood and other folks besides myself maintain bird feeders. I now understand that such is an excellent environment for small raptors. The first close up look I got was on January 1 this year about 9:00 in the morning. A very handsome male was sitting on the neighbor’s fence behind a large stand of decorative grass looking toward a cherry tree about 5 or 6 yards away that the local birds use as a perch when around the feeders. I guess he felt invisible. I got a good camera shot of him, unfortunately through less than clean glass I’d see him around from time to time when I happened to be outside but didn’t think a whole lot about it. In March I thought I saw him again perched in a tree across the street from the feeders and I was able to get some better camera shots. When I sorted the images on my computer screen I immediately noticed that it was not the same bird and later found out that it was probably a second year female still displaying its juvenile plumage. While watching her I noticed the male swoop by from time to time and fly up into a tall silver maple several yards away all the while carrying on their kek-kek-kek conversation. I looked toward where the male was flying and discovered there was actually a stick nest either under construction or being rehabbed from the year before. Considering that I had been seeing them in the neighborhood for a few years hawks may have been nesting there all along although it seems obvious the young female is in her first go around. It may be a new couple taking over an existing nest or the male got a new mate for whatever reason. Just recently I saw them both perched in the same tree carrying on their early morning serenade with the female higher up in the tree as I have read is a typical arrangement. Hopefully I’ll be able to watch the nest through the spring and into the summer if the tree branches and leaves don’t get too much in the way and my neighbor doesn’t shoot me because he thinks I’m spying on his house. And all this is happening right outside my front door. Hopefully there will be more to come later


Hawk 1-1-17.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)Hawk 3-23-17.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte) Hawk Pair 4-8-17.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)

HI there & welcome. Keep us posted... we have to get our Coopers Hawk updates !!

Hi R4,
I'm glad you like my post, I find watching these guys tremendously interesting. It also gives me something to do waiting for the Humming Birds to show up so if you see a bunch of Ohio hummers hanging around Dallas shoo them up north. I would very much like to provide updates for my so far unnamed pair of hawks (although my niece suggested Gary Cooper and Alice Cooper - I'm just not sold yet) but I have a rahter dumb question. Since you are a long time poster perhaps you can advise me juust how to continue my thread. Thanks

What a difference a week makes. Last week the trees were still in bud with just a tinge of green. Now the leaves are about half way out, enough so that it’s hard to see what’s going on up in the trees. Sitting on my porch yesterday (4/15) I did notice the male and female moving around quite a bit in the same tree where I saw the both of them perched last week and briefly meeting off and on at different locations in the same tree. I suspect some serious canoodling was taking place. By about 9:30 both went their separate ways although I occasionally spotted one or the other while I was cutting the grass. The male especially was still making quick trips to the nest, likely still bringing in sticks or other stuff to line the nest. This morning (4/16)I could hear occasional vocalization from that same tree. Sort of a weak muffled Crow caw sound. I happened to look up to see the male drop from about 30’ up in the tree to about 10’ above the deck and then right back up and over me and my house toward the feeders, almost immediately followed by a brief but loud squawk/squeal, more like a robin than a dove. My brother is big into bird watching and has a small woods on his property. He witnessed a hawk hit a dove last year and said it sounded like Venus Williams returning a serve. I attached pictures of the nest location as I see it from my front porch and a close up of the same. You can see why I’m concerned that my new people neighbors might think I’m spying on them. I don’t know them and I guess I’ll have to explain myself sooner or later. I just hope they find it all as interesting as I do. Also attached are a couple close ups of the loving couple. It seems they really like to stare me down when their picture is taken. I find the male is harder to photograph. His best shots always seem to be when I don’t have my camera. I really like the shot I got of the female with her head sideways and beak open while vocalizing, likely saying to her mate “what time did you get home last night”? (in bird speak).
nest 1aa.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)nest 1a.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte) F1 Apr 8, 2017.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte) M1 Apr 8, 2017.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)F1a Apr 9-17.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)

Great photos, Bangtree. They do stare, don't they? Keep us updated.

The museum I work for has more than 60 historic and prehistoric sites around Ohio. Last Monday morning I was helping guide a tour of the Great Circle in Newark Ohio, about 35 miles east of Columbus. For background, the Great Circle is just that: a 1,200’ diameter circular earthwork constructed by the Hopewell Culture around 2,000 years ago. The circle has been everything from a Hopewell ceremonial site 2,000 years ago to a fairgrounds about 160 years ago, a mustering in and training site during the Civil War and in the early 20th century an amusement park. In the 1930’s all the trappings of the most recent usages were removed and the grounds restored and made part of the Newark Earthworks State Memorial. The noise and bustle of the city of Newark is all around the exterior but the interior of the Great Circle is a mostly serene park-like setting with numerous mature trees in the 100+ year range. While on the walking tour I noticed a pair of Cooper’s Hawks darting around and I followed one up into the tree tops to where it was putting branches into an already large nest. I had to continue with the tour and couldn’t stand around “watching birds” and didn’t make it back to the site until late morning today April 23, 2017. It was sunny and clear with a light breeze. The nest is about 45 or 50’ up in a blighted Ash tree that is most likely itself not long for this world. In terms of size it’s probably twice or perhaps three times as large and the nest across the street from my house. I wonder if nest size isn’t a factor of urban vs less than urban behavior or if it’s just an older nest that has been added to several times since it was first built. Not far from the nest was what I took to be a mature female preening herself without an apparent care in the world. It was hard to get a good camera angle because of other nearby trees and the distance was at about the limit of the camera equipment I brought along. She stayed in place until without warning she just flew off. About 2 minutes later what appeared to be a smaller male took her place and by then I had figured where to stand to get a good camera shot. All I can say is thank heavens for digital cameras. I took about 120 shots and managed to keep just a few. In the old days that would have been several rolls of film and a couple days at least and with no Paint Shop to adjust anything. Baseball great Yogi Berra once said you observe a lot by watching. Had I not discovered my hawk neighbors across the street from my house and become familiar with their habits I probably would have still seen the hawks the other morning and probably thought “how nice” and moved on. One thing about a blighted tree: there will be no leafy branches in the way when the hatchlings begin to poke their heads up. I guess a nest across the street just wasn’t enough. More to follow later I hope. Attached are images of the nest and the female I spotted when I arrived, a single shot of the female and one of the male and a double view image of the interior of the Great Circle Earthworks

Nest 1.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)MF5.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)M3.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)Double Picture1.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)

R4: Just lucky I guess. I have been around that site for about 30 years now and seeing a hawk flying about has never been that unusual although it seems that Red Tailed Hawks were more common. Yes that is an absolutely huge nest, it must weigh a hundred pounds or better and like you say made from rather slight materials. The Emerald Ash Borers have done a job on trees in this part of the country including the large white ash in my side yard. Not only does the tree up and die but the wood tends to get brittle too. I'm almost sure that the branches supporting the nest will give way in a couple years or so. They are clearing the interior of fallen trees to open the view somewhat. The Great Circle is part of a group of Hopewell Period earthworks in south-central Ohio that have been nominated as World Heritage Sites on par with other great sites throughout the world although Stone Henge in England would get lost several times over in the Great Circle. You can check out the World Heritage site program at the attached web site

https://www.nps.gov/hocu/learn/historycu...-earthworks.htm

And since your hawk pair has seen fit to remain reclusive I'd like to. extend to you the naming rights of the Newark pair. If the nest is still intact after the young have gone off on their own I have a friend that uses a drone to survey archaeological sites to perhaps get a birds eye view of the nest (pun intended). I'll look into the image problem. In the mean time you might try opening the thumbnail image to full size then right click on that and try opening it in a different window. It works on my home computer but not so well here at work. Good luck!

Good Morning,
Should you be interested and thanks to some advice by Pop6 I have resized my images from previous posts for easier viewing. Thanks and enjoy.

I was arranging my photo files and found a couple images worthy of posting. The first is the local female taken earlier in April. It was the middle of a bright sunny day and she was perched high in a maple tree a couple of yards over where she could look directly down on the customers at my feeders. I probbaly wouldn’t have noticed her except for her repeated KEK, KEK, KEK vocalization. The other is of the same female in a tree immediately next to my front porch. It was taken at dusk about 10 days ago. I think she was getting ready to roost for the evening and she shot me a rather stern glance I guess for disturbing her. I noticed her when I pulled into the driveway on the opposite side of the house. I had my camera but due to the low light I had to improvise so I stacked a couple plastic milk crates in the back of my pick-up and used a banana left over from lunch to prop up the lens and steady the camera. If my neighbor never wondered about me before I'm sure she does now.
alice cooper.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)alice cooper 2.jpg - Bild entfernt (keine Rechte)

Marvelous camera techniques !! You do get results-thanks.