WTXaviphile
Active member
I've been feeding birds just about every day for 4 months, and more than once per day during the snow and cold snap.
Mostly house sparrows and eurasian collared doves, but some white winged doves too, and a pair of curvebilled thrashers that live in my cactus and lately, wonder of wonders, three pyrrhuloxia and one cardinal that have shown up regularly.
Appearance by other species too. All in all a fun hobby for one who spends most of the time at home looking after a centenarian. Amazing what wildlife you can see out the back door in a medium-size city.
Well, the cardinal didn't show up this morning. Only one pyrrhuloxia. Lot of house sparrows, some doves. A seething mass of sparrows this morning with house finches mixed in.
About 11 a.m. I looked out the window of the kitchen door toward the feeders to see if the cardinal was there and saw a single largish bird perching on a limb I set up 5 feet from the ground near the feeders. Suspicions were confirmed by binos. Hawk!
Got pics that I will download and share. Looks like a Cooper's or a Sharp-shinned. Cooper's hawk most likely since they are not averse to towns.
Delighted, but worried about possible casualties.
Is it common to attract a hawk by feeding birds? And am I luring birds into ambush?
Mostly house sparrows and eurasian collared doves, but some white winged doves too, and a pair of curvebilled thrashers that live in my cactus and lately, wonder of wonders, three pyrrhuloxia and one cardinal that have shown up regularly.
Appearance by other species too. All in all a fun hobby for one who spends most of the time at home looking after a centenarian. Amazing what wildlife you can see out the back door in a medium-size city.
Well, the cardinal didn't show up this morning. Only one pyrrhuloxia. Lot of house sparrows, some doves. A seething mass of sparrows this morning with house finches mixed in.
About 11 a.m. I looked out the window of the kitchen door toward the feeders to see if the cardinal was there and saw a single largish bird perching on a limb I set up 5 feet from the ground near the feeders. Suspicions were confirmed by binos. Hawk!
Got pics that I will download and share. Looks like a Cooper's or a Sharp-shinned. Cooper's hawk most likely since they are not averse to towns.
Delighted, but worried about possible casualties.
Is it common to attract a hawk by feeding birds? And am I luring birds into ambush?