October 06, 2005 - A hopeful hawke Suffolk Times • October 6, 2005
k hopefu
aw
I GET CALLS FROM many people about
the big hawk they have seen. Some-
times it's about a hawk chasing a squir-
rel through someone's back yard or
perhaps it's about a big hawk that's eat-
ing a rabbit alongside the road. Other
callers tell about a big hawk that's cir-
cling round and round over fields next
door. Nine times out of 10 it will be a
Suffolk Times photos by Barbara Stoutenburgh
FOCUS
ON
NATURE
by Paul
Stoutenburgh
Left: What's that I see down there? Some sort of cage
and inside, some tasty little chickens. Everybody loves
chicken. Let's look this situation over. This calls for a
new approach to an old oroblem.
red - tailed hawk.
Years ago, when most of our open
space was in farmland, there weren't as
many red -tails around because cultivat-
ed fields don't make such good cover
for mice, rats, moles, rabbits and oc-
casionally a bird or two. Today that has
changed. Farms have been sold; specu-
lators' farms lie idle just waiting for the
best time to develop. This change from
farmland to suburbia has made ideal
habitat for the red - tailed hawk.
The account below is about a red -
tailed hawk that loves chickens, particu-
larly young, tender ones. After circling
around and around on the warm sum-
mer thermals, Mr. Red - Tailed Hawk
sees something interesting.
now
r w
Above: This is getting ridiculous. I go around one side to get close to those delicious - looking chickens and
they go around to the opposite side. This just isn't fair. Guess it's like my father told me. Some days it goes
your way, some days it doesn't. Guess it's not going my way today.
Above: They're down there and I'm up here. Let's see
— I'll go down and take a look. Boy, I've never been so
close to baby chickens in all my life.
Right: So I'm out of here, but let me tell you, chickens: I'm not finished with you yet. I'll be back.
P.S. True to his word, Mr. Red - Tailed
Hawk (also known as chicken hawk)
came back for three days, paying little at-
tention to anyone but those tender -look-
ing chickens, who are to this day safe in
their little cage.