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Hawk Attack? (2 Viewers)

shawna954

New member
Orange County, California

Hi all,

I'm college student/lifeguard. Recently I was lifeguarding when two birds, (what I think were a hawk and a dove) landed almost at my feat in the middle of quite a battle. (The hawk was winning). I honestly was terrified and had no idea what to do (this isn't something they teach you in lifeguard training). Eventually the hawk 'picked up' the dove but only made it a few feat and dropped the dove in the pool (luckily no one was swimming in that lane). What I didn't really think of as strange at the time was that the hawk just flew away and left the his prey floating in the pool. So, I radioed the maintenance guy and he came with a net and took the dead bird away (there was no saving it : ( ). About 15 minutes later the hawk returned. I realized at this point that the hawk was probably looking for the bird that he had killed. The hawk stuck around the pool and honestly scared me to death for a good hour or two. I tried walking around the pool but the hawk always positioned himself to my back.

So here are my questions:

I live in Orange County, CA, does anyone know if hawks here would be willing to attack people?

What kind of hawk do you think this one was? It was brown and kind of small. I am from the the High Desert of California and the hawks we have there seem significantly larger. Maybe this is just a young hawk?

Are there doves in Orange County, CA?

Well, thanks to those of you that read this. I thought this was quite an interesting story to share. I don't know how often people witness hawk attacks, but I thought this one was well worth sharing.

THANKS!
 
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Hi Shawna,
To answer a few questions: Mourning Doves are year round residents in southern California. Hawks rarely attack humans but have been known to harass people by flying close to them if they get too close to their nests during nesting season.

It's not easy to determine what kind of hawk attacked the dove. You say it was small and brown. If it was about the same size as the dove it could have been a Sharp-shinned hawk. Both are about 11 inches long. It would have had trouble trying to carry off the dove although it probably could have killed it and feasted on it at the site. A more likely possibility is a Cooper's hawk, which looks almost exactly like a Sharp-shin but is larger, averaging about 16 inches in length. The juveniles (1st year birds) of both species are brown in color on their backs which turns to gray as they mature. Both of these hawks winter over in your area. Another possiblity is a Merlin, which is a small Falcon, but the western variety is dark gray to almost black on it's back.

Why don't you go to a Barnes & Noble book store in your area and take look into a bird guide like Peterson's or Sibley's or Kaufman's. Find the illustrations for the above birds and try to determine for yourself what it was? You might even like it and buy it!:t: And welcome to Bird Forum!
Cordially,
Bob
 
Hi Shawna

Welcome to Birdforum. What an exciting account but I don't think you personally have to worry about being attacked! Agree with what Caeser says. BF has a fantastic resource at the top of the page. Go to Opus, then type in Sharp-shinned hawk or Coopers hawk and you'll get pictures and a discription.
 
Hi Shawna,
To answer a few questions: Mourning Doves are year round residents in southern California. Hawks rarely attack humans but have been known to harass people by flying close to them if they get too close to their nests during nesting season.

It's not easy to determine what kind of hawk attacked the dove. You say it was small and brown. If it was about the same size as the dove it could have been a Sharp-shinned hawk. Both are about 11 inches long. It would have had trouble trying to carry off the dove although it probably could have killed it and feasted on it at the site. A more likely possibility is a Cooper's hawk, which looks almost exactly like a Sharp-shin but is larger, averaging about 16 inches in length. The juveniles (1st year birds) of both species are brown in color on their backs which turns to gray as they mature. Both of these hawks winter over in your area. Another possiblity is a Merlin, which is a small Falcon, but the western variety is dark gray to almost black on it's back.

Why don't you go to a Barnes & Noble book store in your area and take look into a bird guide like Peterson's or Sibley's or Kaufman's. Find the illustrations for the above birds and try to determine for yourself what it was? You might even like it and buy it!:t: And welcome to Bird Forum!
Cordially,
Bob

Good post!

A number of birds can get quite aggressive when protecting their young. Although I'm out and about shooting birds almost every day, I've only been "warned" off by Hawks on one occasion. On the other hand Terns often attack me, and Willets apparently regard entire marsh areas as their territory. There's one place that I haunt, where from early June to July they attack me every day. ;)

Nor are they "kidding" around. I always wonder who's paying them for all the time they spend harrassing me.

Mockingbirds seem to attack for the hell of it... :eek!:

Dave
 
I live in Orange County, CA, does anyone know if hawks here would be willing to attack people?
As stated above, only if you get too close to nests - but don't worry, nesting shouldn't begin for another 1-3 months.

What kind of hawk do you think this one was?
I would agree on the 1st year Coop hypothesis.

Maybe this is just a young hawk?
Contrary to many non-birders' beliefs, young birds are not smaller than adult birds. When fledglings leave the nest, they are in fact usually BIGGER than their adult counterparts, as they have more fat tissue on them. They must go through this rapid growth so that they can safely survive in the wild - in the case of hawks, to catch food!
 
Hi Dave,

Just wanted to clarify to the first time poster who started this thread that you mean "shooting birds" with a camera!

Best,
Jim

Oh, sorry, I meant a 12 guage D2x...:king:

On photography boards I often joke about taking a shotgun with me to deal with the Willets. I've heard people complain about Terns, who can be pretty aggressive, and as far as I know I'm the only one who whines and snivels about Willets. But on this particular beach, they go for me!

I enjoy complaining more that I dislike the birds. :-O

But here's a "Dave's" eye view of a Willet attack...

BTW, when I say, "they," sometimes as many as five or six will go after me at the same time. Odd. These are not really a bird that "flocks," or at least not like Terns.

Dave
 

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My guess is a Cooper's. Sharp-Shins and Merlin's are usually gone from California by April. Could be one passing through though, although the bold behavior of this bird point more to Cooper's as well as they seem to have less fear of people than other hawks.

Mourning Dove is most likely the dove you saw although Spotted Doves also live in Orange County.

As far as the attacking goes, most hawks rarely attack people (Harriers are a major exception!). You're much more likely to be attacked as mentioned above by Mockingbirds. Brewer's Blackbirds are the same way as Mockingbirds.

But let me tell you, there's nothing like being dive bombed by enraged Western Gulls who's young have jumped off the roof top where they nested and are now wondering around a theme park.
 
American Crows will go after you as well.

Last year we had people getting attacked at my work. A pair of crows nested in a tree that's right next to the door of the main executive building. The crows were attacking people coming and going through that door.

The labor guys had to get in a cherry picker and don hard hats to move the nest. Even then the attacks continued. Once the babies fledged and were learning to fly the parents attacked anyone who came near a 'downed' fledgling.

This lasted for about a month.
 
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