What the heck did I just see?

[cava]

I looked out this morning and saw a red tailed hawk sitting on the railing of the bottom deck (where the release cage is and where I feed the releases). I opened the upstairs window and he looked at me but didn't move so I got shoes on to go out and shoo him off. I don't want this to be a regular pit stop for him.

When I got to the hall window and looked out he was still there and one of my spring releases was SITTING NEXT TO HIM eating something. Like two old friends catching up. Squirrel relaxed, hawk surveying the yard.

I threw the window open and barked, "Hey!" and the hawk flew away and the Main St. Foursome release just looked at me, unperplexed.

When I got outside two hawks were flying away overhead.

Maybe hawk was full and just enjoying the scenery next to his future next meal? Geez!

[TubeDriver]

Holiday season?



In all seriousness, I am not that surprised that a RTH might ignore something if it was not hungry but I am a bit worried that your release did not alarm and run off. I would make yelling noises and run towards then in an attempt to alarm your squirrel if that ever happens again.

[Jen413]

[cava]

Holiday season?



In all seriousness, I am not that surprised that a RTH might ignore something if it was not hungry but I am a bit worried that your release did not alarm and run off. I would make yelling noises and run towards then in an attempt to alarm your squirrel if that ever happens again.

That will be my plan. Thanks! Honestly, I hear those four daily alarming about something. Between the four of them, someone is always barking and whining. That's why I found it so darn weird. Those idiots bark at me when I'm handing out food, sometimes.

[Trooper]

Remember the scene in the original "Jurassic Park" when the dinosaur expert tells the kids not to move, because T-Rex can only detect movement? Hawks are curiously very insensitive of smells, they have a bad olfactory system. If the squirrel sitting next to him was just eating but not making the instinctive movements of a fleeing prey, the hawk might not see it as food catch at all.

One afternoon, a RTH landed on my backyard arbor. I quickly loaded in my shop my Toys-R-Us water repeating machine gun and came out when the hawk was steering away from me. Every time I made an advance move to get a better aim with my water gun, he heard me, looked straight into my eyes (or that is what I thought) and the moment he looked away, I moved a few steps closer and froze. He sharply turned around and again nailed me with his powerful sight (I don't know, it might have been a her).

I did this 3 more times until I was literally below his butt and started water shooting him/her upwards, at which point he decided to leave the "bidet" and flee. Very impressive experience that if you freeze at the right time, predators like hawks or T-rex will not see you (or smell you for that matter).

Trooper's dad

[kcassidy]

Remember the scene in the original "Jurassic Park" when the dinosaur expert tells the kids not to move, because T-Rex can only detect movement? Hawks are curiously very insensitive of smells, they have a bad olfactory system. If the squirrel sitting next to him was just eating but not making the instinctive movements of a fleeing prey, the hawk might not see it as food catch at all.

One afternoon, a RTH landed on my backyard arbor. I quickly loaded in my shop my Toys-R-Us water repeating machine gun and came out when the hawk was steering away from me. Every time I made an advance move to get a better aim with my water gun, he heard me, looked straight into my eyes (or that is what I thought) and the moment he looked away, I moved a few steps closer and froze. He sharply turned around and again nailed me with his powerful sight (I don't know, it might have been a her).

I did this 3 more times until I was literally below his butt and started water shooting him/her upwards, at which point he decided to leave the "bidet" and flee. Very impressive experience that if you freeze at the right time, predators like hawks or T-rex will not see you (or smell you for that matter).

Trooper's dad

That was just a movie myth. Scientists believe that Therapods have sight similar to Raptors and they most certainly can see you standing still. Velociraptor's are believed to have night vision for hunting after dark and they too could see you if you stood still.

.

[Diggie's Friend]

During waking hours a small air-horn sends a strong message; this is what we used to drive off the Red-tailed hawks here. It works up to 20 to 30 feet if you do it line of sight (lining up your eye with the horn and the bird). This also works to drive off other nuisance wildlife.