Maybe you can discourage them enough to use one of the other nests. Nothing mean, but maybe banging on the trunk or yelling, just enough to make them nervous.

At least they'll probably keep the vole, mouse, chipmonk and bunny populations down - unfortunately their main prey is other birds. Once the baby hawks have fledged and are on their own, any way you can reach the nest to knock it down?
That might be enough to keep them on the move.

Ours seems to go after the song birds, at least feathers and missing birds are all we see of their carnage. It is against the law to mess with the nest or I would suggest throwing basket balls up to knock it down. That would discourage them!
We have one that hunts on our property but I have no idea where the nest is.

I'm mean spirited when it comes to protecting my garden. Can I help it if a wayword basketball destroyed that nest before the chicken hawks became established?

Wyldflower,

Hmmm, there's got to be something you can do to discourage them from nesting there. I have a CH that surveys my bird feeder from a pine next to the driveway, I grab my car keys when I see him and hit the key lock a few times. The noise from the car and the flashing light always scares him off. What about hanging up aluminium pie pans (punch a hole in each one and tie on pieces of twine so they rattle in the breeze)?? Could you get them high enough that they would be annoying to the birds to deter them?

Just a thought.

Donna

You are right; they are protected, and what is more, they are becoming threatened over much of their range.Loss of habitat, what else. We have one that hunts our bird feeder now & then. Cheer yourself with the thought that if your yard is considered safe enough to raise their babies, it must be an excellent habitat & regular small wildlife refuge. Healthy, too, for you as well as hawks. I console myself on eaten birds with the thought that if all the birds hatched became breeding adults, we'd be up to our eyeballs in birdy poop.
Top of food chain predators have a vital place in the grand scheme; they maintain diversity in the entire ecosystem. The world needs your Coopers hawks much more than you dislike their messes.Bury the leftovers & let them enrich your soil & maybe you'll feel better if you consider their presence a compliment to your conservation practices. I'd love a pair of Coopers in our spruce tree!

Maybe it's the animal lover in me, but I really think those birds of prey like the Cooper Hawk are beautiful. In my area, I have seen many (what I think are) red-tailed hawks, and I love to watch them glide around as they hunt. They are especially noticable in the winter, when there are no leaves on the trees, and I always look for them when I drive to work. When I spot one, I tell my husband I saw "one of my birds." Yes, like you, I know I would probably be ultra-annoyed if they were pooping on my hostas and preying on my song birds, but I know I would enjoy watching the parents tend to the nest too... Maybe this sounds stupid, but most times I feel "privileged" when a pair of birds chooses my tree to nest in, it means they feel safe here. I hope you and the hawks can come to some sort of "truce."

Just my humble opinion,
Buff

I also have a Cooper's Hawk that frequents our yard, especially in winter.
One thing to be thankful for is that the young grow quickly and will leave the nest in about one month.
If the pair is nesting already, then by the end of May they should be gone.
Being a member of the local Audubon Society, I've come to appreciate the good these birds of prey actually do for the environment. Please don't destroy their nest.

Like Buff, I would feel very priviledged to have a pair nest on my property, but unfortunately I don't have the right habitat for them.

I hope you can somehow come to enjoy them while they're there, for soon the young will leave the nest.
Isn't it funny how we often don't appreciate the wonders of nature?

Janet

I had crows nest in one of my pine trees, which is underplanted with hosta, last year. I'm hoping they don't come back.

Connie

I had a Cooper's Hawk start building a nest in one of our trees last spring, but crows harassed it and discouraged it. I also saw a Great Horned Owl the other day, and two crows harassed it until it left as well.

Crows don't seem to tolerate large birds of prey hanging around.

Wyldflower, look at the bright side of this. You are out there everyday watering.....hostas love water!! The bird droppings and skeletal remains will be good fertilizer. Enjoy the birds, it may be a blessing in disguise.

Thanks for all the reponses. The nest is 60 to 70 feet up in the air, so there's no way I can discourage the hawks to leave. I do miss the songbirds; they won't come back to our yard until the hawks leave. Actually, I think at least one hawk was here all winter. I really disliked the hawks at first, but I will confess. The second year I happened to look out the window and saw something white fall from the tree where they were nesting. One of the birds had fallen (or more likely was pushed) out of the nest. Fortunately the Husky was inside, or the hawk would have become a snack. They were just babies then, too young to fly. When I saw the hawk on the ground looking at me, my heart melted and I ran inside and called my vet. I got the number of a wildlife rescue volunteer and drove the hawk about 30 miles to her house. I even gave her money to buy mice to feed the hawk! My attitude changed a lot that day. The young are amusing to watch as they learn to fly; they can always get back to the tree but not quite to the top, so they walk/hop the rest of the way. As for the crows, the hawks bully them and always win. I guess I hadn't thought of the droppings and bones as being good fertilizer, thanks for telling me. Anyhow, the hostas have been doing very well in their garden, and as I'm out there watering/hosing off the droppings, I'll think of you guys. What a great forum!