Re: Winter lock-down

[EMAIL PROTECTED] (Susan) wrote in message news:<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>...
> Hello E-Man,
> I guess you are not far from me (South Jersey shore). I have been
> wondering, what are those birds we have been seeing all summer,
> soaring around in the sky? Are they hawks? If not, where do you see
> the hawks?
> I had something grab one of my rollers a few weeks ago, I never saw
> what it was. A neighbor brought my bird to me wrapped in newspaper,
> all bloody. He said "a big bird" had grabbed it, but dropped it in his
> front yard. Since then, I have been reluctant to let the rollers out.
> It does put a damper on things...
> Sue
> PS- I did manage to sew the bird up, she is OK.

Hi Sue,
you'd have to tell me size and maybe shape, to get an idea of what you have
been seeing. I have seen the vultures soaring around all summer, with the
occasional red-tail, Neither, a big threat to the rollers. There have also
been alot of what I call "nighthawks" flying around all summer, mostly late
afternoon. Very pointy wings and tail, big white spot on each wing. They eat
insects on the wing, but do seem to like harrassing my rollers. They are much
faster, and dive thru them, but the birds don't seem too disturbed by them.
MY biggest "sure" threat is the coopers, sharpies, and goshawks. Goshawks
usually are just passing thru. But the coopers and sharpies like to reside
in the area all winter. And of course, they come earlier every year.

I thought I would get in one last fly before winter-lock-down yesterday, and
flew them around 7:30am. They did good, but seemed to have trouble coming
down. They kept circling kinda high, then would leave the area. They only do
this when hawks are about, so I started looking for one...........and sure
enough, there was a male coopers in my tree directly over my head!
I managed to "run" him off, but the birds didn't come down for a few hours.

If I had to guess, I would say that the bird you repaired was attacked by either
a sharpie or immature coop. Immatures seem to be the only ones unsure enough
to drop one, or get spooked off of it, and pigeons are just a tad large for
sharpies to fly off with comfortably. Adult coopers and goshawks have such a
powerful grip with their talons that their prey is usually dead before they
land with it.
E-Man
(All locked down, now!)