[EBB Sightings] hawks

Wow, that is amazing.  Very nice of you to take him to
Lindsay.  I hope he pulls through, please let us know
what happens.

I wonder if it was a territorial attack?  Or maybe two
males fighting over a female?  Or maybe the hawk
simply misidentified the other hawk as something
different.

--- Lance Beeson  wrote:
> Went for daily exercise walk/birding with bird
> binocs yesterday around 
> the upper golf course at Rossmoor. I had just
> reached my favorite spot 
> to view a bluebird couple when I looked up and saw
> two large redtail 
> hawks, flying very low. I watched them with my
> binoculars, saw the 
> "landing gear" go down on one and realized it was
> diving. Down to the 
> ground 100 feet away from me but he came up empty,
> but I noticed a 
> brownish lump. It disappeared in the high grass and
> I thought, lucky 
> bugger, that rodent. But the hawks persisted and
> soon another did one 
> of those glorious fast drops from fairly high,
> straight down, like a 
> bomb. He made contact and to my surprise I saw a
> wing go up from the 
> victim that had been lifted about a foot or two
> before dropping. 
> Another hawk!
> 
> Ran across the street to within 10 feet and there,
> above me on an 
> embankment, another red-tail was panting with an
> obvious broken left 
> wing. Two bluejays were already on the attack,
> verbally, and encircling 
> the poor thing.
> 
> Ran back to office, got our staff photographer (I
> work for the 
> newspaper) , grabbed a box and sheet and returned.
> The poor divil was 
> under a bush, hiding from further attack whilst the
> bluejays continue 
> their harassment. By now, it was in shock and I was
> able to put the 
> sheet over him and put him in the box. Straight to
> the Lindsay we went, 
> and to our surprise, was still alive when we left
> him there. I hope he 
> makes it, his accession number is 926. I couldn't
> see any other wounds 
> besides the wing, but that looked pretty bad so it
> may be a lifer at 
> some museum or park if it pulls through.
> 
> It seemed to be an adult, though smallish hawk.
> Lindsay staff confirmed 
> it was a red-tail because both the photog and I
> thought that surely it 
> was either a baby or another species, lest the
> red-tails prove 
> cannibalistic.
> 
> Though there was adrenaline aplenty involving the
> rescue, I had never 
> been so close and able to observe so well the flying
> behavior and 
> attack of the big birds. Very exciting.
> 
> PS. Last Friday, near the Grizzly watertank above
> Stanley Dollar Drive, 
> just outside of Rossmoor limits, I took my lunch
> walk and observed a 
> group of quail, including immature males, I believe,
> with the 
> semi=developed head plumes. A turkey, blackbirds, a
> Western bluebird 
> couple, and a very good view of a male Western
> meadowlark. First time 
> out with my new binoculars (still cheapies but a
> great improvement on 
> former). It was thrilling to watch him throw back
> his head and sing his 
> beautiful song. Compared to the guides, the lines on
> his head were 
> darker and more defined, more like an Eastern
> version, but I'm sure it 
> was the Western, right?
> 
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