We were enjoying a peaceful morning with cups of coffee, watching birds flit about their feeders, when a crow-size raptor screamed onto the scene, snatched a meal and left a poof of feathers in its wake.
Cooper’s hawks are raptors that typically zipped through wooded, rural areas. In the last 30 years, the population of these little raptors has grown in urban and suburban areas. Abundant prey is the calling card and backyard bird feeding stations offer a buffet of sorts.
These petite hawks put on quite a show as they dash up, over, around and through vegetation at high rates of speed. Either enjoy the show – Cooper’s hawks are doing what nature intended – or take down feeders for a few days and the hawk will move on to more productive hunting grounds.
You can learn more about Cooper’s hawks at allaboutbirds.org.