call out to the young bespeckled Hawk , “ Listen to me when I ’ m talking to ya , Boy !” And then Foghorn would invariably get blown up . (“ I keep mah feathers numbered for JUST such an occasion .”) Well , that chicken hawk was likely a Cooper ’ s hawk , as they have a reputation of eating other birds , whether wild or domesticated . It is somewhat of a misnomer , however , because while Cooper ’ s hawks and other birds of prey will eat a chicken if easily available , they are built for and prefer mid-flight predation , and are really , really good at it . They like ‘ em “ Small , fresh , and feisty .” ( I totally just made that phrase up , and am hoping it becomes a thing .)
Think of them as little avian stealth ninja assassins . Well , not really little , per se . Considered a mid-sized hawk , they weigh in at about a half pound to a pound or so , and can grow up to somewhere around 20 inches long . Imagine something that size picking up a chicken …. they ’ d have to unbuckle their belts and walk home after eating something that big . So they prefer smaller birds , or rodents , or frogs . And they hunt them silently camouflaged , swooping down with jaw-dropping speed to snatch them from whatever idyllic life their prey had been enjoying before . I couldn ’ t find consistent flight speed measurements on these birds , though I did read in several places that they have been clocked cruising at 50 mph . We know peregrine falcons can reach 200 mph in a fast straight , tree-less dive . Cooper ’ s hawks don ’ t work that way , and thus aren ’ t as fast . But they do maneuver through branches and forest thickets with uncanny accuracy and still gain enough speed to be jaw dropping . Trust me , I ’ ve seen it , and my jaw did , in fact , drop . But flying through thick forest canopies at 50 mph can be dangerous , and rescued Cooper ’ s hawks are often found with broken breast or wing bones .
Like the peregrine falcon , Cooper ’ s hawk numbers were decimated by DDT and habitat loss until the early 1970s when legislation banned DDT , and habitat conservation movements began to pick up momentum . Even recently , a study in 2019 in the academic journal , Science , revealed that in the last half century , we had lost 30 percent of North America ’ s bird populations . If that percentage is not eye-popping enough , consider that it translates to nearly three billion birds lost , due to poison , habitat and resource loss , and predation by domestic cats , which pose an enormous threat to nearly all but apex wildlife . All in the last 50 years ! Thankfully , since the DDT legislation , Cooper ’ s hawks and other birds of prey have been staging a comeback , adapting with remarkable flexibility to the challenges they can , and their numbers are once again stable , at least for the time being .
When not being poisoned from other ( non-DDT ) pesticides still in use today , or starving from lack of habitat , or being pounced on by foxes , domestic cats , or great horned owls , believe it or not , these majestic beauties have the potential to live to 15 years in the wild ! In reality , however , they average about 1.5 years . One of the determiners of how long they live is how good they are at actually catching dinner . Their metabolisms are ridiculously fast , and it is imperative that they eat often to keep up with it . If they get wounded and cannot hunt , their chances of survival dwindle quickly , for they can easily starve . So when they hunt , they must do so aggressively and boldly . And their aerial feats are truly fantastic . Even the Red Baron would be impressed .
You may be lucky enough to actually witness their aerial feats and hunting prowess if you have bird feeders . If you are one of those kind-hearted souls who puts out bird feeders , even in the suburbs , you might be inadvertently inviting a Cooper ’ s hawk to your buffet ! And the more bird feeders , the better the chances . But if you rather not witness that particular aspect of the ecosystem , and you notice a hawk in the vicinity , take your feeders down for a few days to a week , and they will move on . On the other hand , it really does strengthen the entire food chain when they swoop in and grab a quick meal . I mean , sure , it ’ s pretty brutal , and not for the weak at heart , but just keep repeating “ Circle of life ! Circle of life !” I ’ ve got to be honest with you , though : that mantra doesn ’ t stop me from flying off my steps in the morning whenever I hear their call . They might be essential to the balance of the ecosystem , but by golly here at the happy garden at Fern Cottage , they have to work for it !
Well loved for her wit , and self deprecating style , popular local storyteller , Pamela Boe , lives with her family in the heart of the Agricultural Reserve . Pam ’ s background as a former paramedic , avid outdoorswoman , mother , wife , and lifelong accident-waiting-to-happen resonates with readers across the region .
24 plenty I Summer growing 2021