Pulling weeds is never a
pleasant chore—even when you love to garden.
However, this Spring I had
some entertainment that went along with my weed pulling. Following is a short journal describing
the show.
The female gave a few short "Kek's" (apparently this species' "come hither" call)
Saturday 3/24 - Today
as I was working in my yard, I saw a Cooper’s
Hawk sitting in the pin oak tree in our yard. At first I thought it was a small red-tail hawk, but on
closer inspection knew that it couldn’t be. Every so often this bird would give out a short sharp “Kek”
call. After several “Keks” I heard
an answering “Kek, kek, kek,” call and saw another hawk sitting in the Burr Oak
about 30 feet from the first bird.
There was no doubt about the second bird—it was definitely a Cooper’s
Hawk. Then it dawned on me—this
was a pair! I’d been seeing two
hawks soaring in tandem over the neighborhood for most of the winter. This must be them.
As
I watched, the smaller bird (the male) took off over our rooftop. The larger bird, the female, remained
for a while, then she took off in the same direction toward the front of the
house.
I
returned to my yard work and a short time later rounded the front of the house
to discover both birds on the lowest limb of the pin oak in the front
yard. She was eating a morsel that
the male had brought her. As I
watched he mated with her.
Sunday 3/25 - The
hawks are still hanging around. I
haven’t spotted any nesting activity yet, nor have I been able to find what
looks like a nest large enough for these birds. There is one nest perched precariously halfway out on an
overhanging limb in our next door neighbor’s yard, but I can’t believe they
would be using this one.
The male would answer the female with a longer call
Monday 3/26 - The
hawks are still here, and today I spotted what looked like breeding activity in
the neighbor’s tree. Again, the
larger bird (the female) called with a few short “Kek” calls whereupon the male
answered with his longer call and shortly thereafter mated with her.
Apparently, the female initiates the breeding by issuing her
invitation. Soon after they mated I
saw one of them soar between our houses with its talons full of nesting
materials—away from the nest mentioned earlier. Unfortunately, I couldn’t determine its destination. There is a wealth of large trees in our
neighborhood and it could be any one of them.
This
afternoon I saw one of the hawks fly from the neighbor’s backyard tree carrying
a stick. It flew into the tree in
our neighbor’s front yard where I spotted a now substantial nest in a large
crook of the tree. I think we’ve
found their nest!
Tuesday 3/27 - Early
this morning we spotted one of the birds in the neighbor’s backyard tree. It’s early and she’s just a silhouette,
but clearly she’s dining on something.
As we watched, the male landed in the same tree, plucked a few sticks
from it and then made a beeline for the front yard nest. Soon he returned with a gift for his
bride and then promptly mated with her again. It appears that the backyard tree is their favored perch
from which to hunt, breed and guard the nest. I saw him mate with her three more times today.
Wed 3/28 I
watched them mate several times today.
As evening approached both birds settled onto the branch near the
“practice nest,” where they’ve mated several times. My husband and I thought they might be going to roost there
tonight, but just before dark they flew off.
Thu 3/29 - I’ve
only seen them flying into a tree several yards away today—but then I wasn’t
out in the yard much
Fri 3/30 - One
of the birds spent quite some time on the branch near the “practice nest” today. It eventually took off and flew into
our pine tree. This “practice
nest” is within sight of the nest that we think they’re going to use in the
crotch of the pin oak tree in our neighbor’s front yard. Never did see the other bird—so
possibly she may be in the nest.
We believe this is the male who is now bringing food to his mate on the nest
We’ve
had a very early Spring this year, and unfortunately for me the leaves in the
tree canopy have now become so thick that I can barely see the nest, even when
standing directly under it. I
continue to see the male bird, but have not seen the female recently. I believe she’s sitting on eggs.
Over
the next few weeks I spotted the male flying back and forth toward the nest
tree, so know they are still in the neighborhood. Then, one morning I spotted three hawks in the backyard tree. I think the young have fledged. One of the birds was the larger female
with what appeared to be a younger smaller bird in hot pursuit—obviously
looking to mama for food.
Because
of the thick canopy I’ve not been able to tell if there is more than one
fledgling. However, it has certainly made my weed pulling less of a chore; and
certainly much more entertaining since I could watch the Cooper's Hawks and
their antics.
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