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kimberly_ussher

Ugh...Hannibal Lecter issues

19 years ago

Hannibal is hunting two or more times a day now in my yard.

Hannibal is my name for my hawk(s). There's actually more than one. They are probably feeding baby Hannibals.

I am finding TONS of blue jay feathers, dove feathers and today I found several tail feathers from my wonderful little cardinals. :(

This week, I watched in horror as Hannibal chased a ring-neck dove into the side of my house (whack!) and then ate it on my back stoop. I have feathers EVERYWHERE in my yard. Piles of feathers....even stuck to my gas grill, patio furniture. Everywhere.

Okay, I get the whole it's part of nature thing. But, I feel like I am setting the birdies up for slaughter.

They peep at me to fill the feeders but I am wondering should I take a 'break' from filling the feeders? I did it for a week and Hannibal was back along with the rest of the birds.

Hannibal can eat all the doves he wants -- I really don't care as there are 35 or more in my yard at once. But, I love my jays and song birds.

Any suggestions?

Comments (7)

  • 19 years ago

    I would stop feeding for a while. If nothing else it will force the Hannibals to look somewhere else for a while. Change the pattern, change the behavior. It's worth a try.

  • 19 years ago

    I don't really know of any foolproof solution to this problem either, Saintpfla...sounds like you have a Cooper's or a Sharpie pair in your yard. (Most other hawks don't dine so exclusively on birds). Any idea where their nest is?

    They are fully protected by Federal Law so of course you can't disturb them in any physical way, but maybe you can discourage them by ceasing feeding your yard birds for awhile.

    I don't know what would work to chase them away. I had a pair of red-shouldered hawks nesting in my yard for nearly a year, and all of my songbirds disappeared. Even though the hawks weren't hunting them, they still wouldn't come to my feeders at all while the predators were around. The hawks finally moved on down the road, and all my birds came back. I'm surprised your birds are still using the feeders.

    But the problem is, even without the feeders, they are going to get caught because sharpies and Cooper's hawks are very adept at flying between tree branches to snatch birds from their nests and from their perches. So the songbirds don't even have to come to the feeder to be caught.

    I think you may just have to wait it out until they finally relocate (which they will at some point...probably over this coming winter) and then you can try your feeders again.

    Wish I could be more optimistic.

    Marcia

  • 19 years ago

    Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
    I was just thinking I hadnt seen any hawks in awhile and guess what? I have been out of birdseed for about two weeks!DH just picked some up.
    But heres the weird thing my hawks come at night I fed the birds in the AM.

  • 19 years ago

    I am seeing a hawk fly over us but does not come any closer.
    I have a fake owl by the pond to scare Blue Herons. Maybe the Owl is helping to keep the Hawk away.
    I once had several dozens of Goldfish and coys in the pond, the blue Herons killed all but about 5.
    The fish were too big for them to eat. They killed them and left them to dry in the sun.It was very sad. I buried the dead fish by the various plants so they could benefit the plants.
    Very expensive fertilizer.
    Felix

  • 19 years ago

    As weird as it might sound, I think my cat helped deter whatever the bird of praying (and the bird eating birdies before this guy) was after my fish in the pond.
    This guy:


    The bird spent two days checking out the area (and eating fish in the process), and my hunter cat kept an eye on the bird non-stop. The cat would not hunt and catch the bird, but I think the two - the cat and the bird of pray might have had enough respect for each other not to share the turf. The bird moved on.

    Now, some might argue outdoor cats are just as bad for birds - we did have a discussion on feral cats here :) - but my super-hunter cat Lovebug cannot, fortunately, catch in a month what birds of pray can catch in a day or two.

    My two cents on what I think kept birds of pray from my backyard. Mostly assumptions :)

    Olya

  • 19 years ago

    My Hannibals are Cooper's Hawks. They are amazing creatures, truly.

    But, it will perch up in the oak tree which is above the feeders hanging in the grapefruit tree. They will sit there for hours until the Jays stop their predator cries.

    Once the birds "forget" (especially the doves...not the sharpest knives in the draw..) and start eating at the feeders, Hannibal swoops down and snatches them.

    Chasing the dove into the side of my house and then, eating it on my back steps was kind of the last straw for me.....that, and finding cardinal tail feathers.

    I'm out of seed and going out of town this week for work. I guess I'll not purchase any new seed for another week. How long exactly should I wait to resume feeding?

    I feel bad because I must have about a dozen nursing squirrels right now looking longingly at the empty feeders.

  • 19 years ago

    Uhhhh Don't pity the squirrels. They will find all the food they have stashed elsewhere.Tell them thats what acorns are for!

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