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November 22, 2007 - Predators are watchingSuffolk Times •November 22, 2007 redators are w tchi*tn I Suffolk Times photo by Barbara Ste This photo is of a Cooper's hawk that had escaped from Its falconer. the tresses on its legs. It was seen and photographed on top of a cage; evidently the hawk was looking for a meal. Sul(ul Times, photo by Paul Soutcnburgh sparrows are well prepared as ground feeders to eke out a living by finding ids of all sorts. You can tell a seed eater by the thick, heavy bill it uses to ck open the seeds. ave you noticed more sparrows around your yard and amongst your bushes lately? I have. It's the annual migration of a winter sparrow that's called the white- throated sparrow. Many of the sparrows we see are first -year birds, having been born in cen- tral Canada and other far northern areas. The adults do justice to their name by showing a large white patch under their chins. The combination of adults and immature white - throats makes up the majority of the birds that now come to my feeding station. They're what we call ground feeders, for they sel- FOCUs dom fly up to my hanging feed- ers and are content to scratch d N for the seed that falls to the NATURE ground from the feeders above. They travel in loose groups by Paul and respond to an alert warn- ing call by acting as one; all Stoutenburgh heading for the nearest bushes to get away from danger. And that reminds me — when you're feeding the birds, whether at a hanging feeder or just, scattering seeds on the ground, try to do it near some bush or other cover. This is most important, for it gives your feed- ing birds a chance to escape from that predator hawk that is bad news for those who do not heed the warning. Years ago we'd see a hawk only on rare occa- sions; today it seems we see hawks quite regularly. The two main culprits are the Cooper's hawk, about crow size, and the smaller, but just as deadly, sharp - shinned hawk. They're classified as woodland hawks, and they prey on small birds and rodents. You often don't see them, as they're antisocial, usually keeping a fair distance from man. So if you are wondering why all of a sudden there are no birds around, chalk it up to one of these fast -flying hawks that are de- signed for hunting in the woods and thickets. Their method of hunting is "attack without warn- ing." Speed and agility are their key weapons. It's often thought that a hawk captures its victim every time it attacks — far from it. Even our osprey misses one out of three times it dives for fish. Barbara has her special white- throat, one without any tail feathers. It could have happened when a hawk went for it while feeding and all the hawk got was a bunch of feathers. Probably then the white - throat escaped to the nearby bushes without its tail feathers. It surely is an odd - looking little bird as it scratches below the feeders. Your eye is immediately drawn to it. It looks like a little chicken scratching for seeds. If it wasn't a hawk that took the tail feathers out, it could be one of the most damaging predators to wildlife: the feral cat. Without doubt, they are the Nc 1 eliminator of wildlife, including everything from snakes to your favorite chickadee. Another bandit that threatens the wildlife wortd is the raccoon. It's not as fast and cunning as the cat, but it does its share of deadly deeds on its nightly prowl, when it digs up turtle eggs and robs bird nests. like the one that visits my bird boxes. I can , 0111 ....'h?,dn .s'nMihw.tilYL d � . + .. '✓I Mil^ �" "7 �A f�{ I' d,y��" q �" �� ,� N���u, 4 ,ryIli ,�'ymµ Occasionally 1 take what 1 think is a good photo only to be outdone by one of my readers. Here is a photo sent in to me of an adult sharp - shinned hawk. Wish I remembered who sent it to me so I could give him credit here. usually tell when Mr. Raccoon has cleaned out my birdhouses by the feathers and debris on the ground. And when he can't reach in and get what he is after, he will rip the box apart and then feast on eggs or yoting or, if the parent bird is incubating, it, too, will provide a meal. Such is the drama that's played out each day and night right in our own back ards. Another winter migrant that might be showing up any day is also a ground feeder, the junco. This is an easily recognized bird for it only has two colors: a black body and a white underbelly. It's about spar- row size and often is found feeding with the white - throats. So let's keep our eyes open and see who sees the first iuncos of the winter. L 1, Suffolk Times photo by Paul Stoutenburgh You can see why they call this sparrow the white - throated sparrow. They visit us only in the winter- time, then go north to raise their young. r' rr7 ���p'✓�flro+ ug �r q ��'�PNr�d a rr� r� �/r r�u�i�r✓��rliVr �� rpr✓dr�rlHjlr�i,jr�����lr ✓�N , ''µ 'r r� /i lu �� r jii�ju�ll�rlrll�ir�,gniV r r ° �4 4,a , d , r Suffolk Times photo by Barbara Stouten phis sharp- shinned hawk came to its end as it chased a small bird near our picture window. It was E ably traveling very fast, as it does when it hunts, and couldn't change its flight direction soon enou,