Terror in the Skies
While working in the bookshop , I can be unaware of what is going on in my own yard . But this week I was doing much of my work in the house . That gave me a front row seat to an intruder that upset everyone along the brook that runs through the property . We were visited by a pair of red-tailed hawks . I heard the squirrels first , as they announced a general emergency , calling and chattering from the underbrush . As I looked out the window , two pairs of grackles worked a circle pattern , flanked by sparrows and other little brown birds , yelling at those egg-sucking hawks . But the most amazing thing that I saw was Hector , the Inspector . He was headed to the house at top speed , low to the ground , ears flattened . He came to the door , and I opened it for this frightened cat , who headed immediately to one of his hiding spots in the house . I then watched as the grackles eventually sent these two beautiful hawks packing .
Red tailed hawks are fearsome predators , and I think of them as rodent hunters . But an article from The Spruce Pets , a website that is fact-checked by scientists and veterinarians , noted that these hawks will hunt prey up to 20 pounds , and that they are one of three species of raptors known for killing small pets . Hector , at a whopping 13 pounds , is well within the range , and he knows it . Chances are that the hawk was looking for eggs recently laid to steal ( that was what the grackles thought ), but our orange fluffball was taking no chances . He had been a stray kitten , dropped off at a nearly abandoned barn . My guess is that he has seen one of these winged killers in action .
The article gave several tips on protecting small pets , but the one we use here most is to always have good cover for our cats . There are several small entrances under our wrap around porch , and nooks on the porch itself . My indoor / outdoor cats have easy access to good hiding places , close to our doors . Also , we do not feed birds on the ground here , which attracts hawks , nor do we feed the cats outdoors , making food available to other animals , and again , creating a gathering place for the animals that hawks and other raptors like to eat . This type of defense creates a good barrier and safe place for your beloved pet .
But Hector is not the only cat I have known that feared the terrible claws in the air . Hector ’ s big brother , Lucky , would never enter the shop when the overhead fans were running . He would scream , flatten himself to the ground , and get out of there . He was another barn rescue , and my sister , Nancy , always thought that he had become an orphan kitten because of the owls that hunted that barn . The overhead fans sounded like the whirring of owl wings , and always were a nightmare for Lucky .
- by Linda Roller , Bookseller , writer , and owner of Liberty Book Shop in beautiful downtown Avis , PA .
LIBERTY BOOK SHOP Linda Roller
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Pawsitively Pets -- May 5