Bird of Prey

Basscat · 09-25-2005, 08:32 AM

I was doing some land scaping with a backhoe in the yard yesterday. While moving a pile of dirt along side the driveway, I saw two mice run out of the grass and start running accross the driveway. I was watching the mice run around and saw this white blurr out of the corner of my eye. Then I watched as this hawk grabbed one of the mice and flew away. Man would that have been a cool picture. I watched as the other mouse ran around the drvieway, then went back to the grass that it came from. I moved the backhoe a couple of feet and the mouse ran back out in the driveway. The hawk flew back by and landed on a pile of dirt 15 yds away. It sat on the pile of dirt watching the mouse, then flew down, grabbed it, and flew back to the pile of dirt. I sat in anticipation waiting to watch it pick it apart and eat it. Well...there was no picking it apart. The hawk held the mouse up and swollowed it whole. Talk about a Kodak moment! The hawk sat on the pile of dirt waiting for me to kick up another mouse for it to eat. I decided to drive up to the house and see if I could get a camera for a picture. I called my wife with my cell phone and asked her to get the digital camera out. As I drove up to the house, the hawk flew up to the peak of my house and watched. I had a feeling that if I drove all of the way up there, it would fly away as soon as I got out of the cab. So... I backed down the driveway by where I kicked up the mice. The hawk flew to a tree 20 yds away and watched. I wanted a picture of this hawk, so I stopped the backhoe. I left the backhoe running and exited the cab. The hawk stayed in the tree. I walked up to the house and my wife handed me the digital camera. I walked all the way back to the backhoe and the hawk was still there. I drove the backhoe closer to the tree to see if I could get a better pic. The hawk never flew away. The auto focus focused on the tree in a couple of pics, but you can still see the hawk plain as day. Its amazing how machinery does not spook wild life. I would never have gotten that close if I had not been running the backhoe. I have had a whitetail buck walk 15yds beside me while running a brush hog.

cayugad · 09-25-2005, 09:29 AM

Excellent picture... it is something how power equipment does not seem to spook wildlife. I have a friend who is a logger and he tells of one winter when they were cutting cedar, balsam, and spruce the snow was rather deep... They had skidders running, and chainsaws going, yet deer were standing around the outside edge of the cutting, waiting for their chance at the cedar branches.

He said you would come back the next day and the snow was just trampled and the branches from the cedar stripped. I even go out in hard winters and drop a few cedar trees on the property. In the spring you can bring them in for wood and you seldom have any green needles left on them.

He also tells about a black bear that followed him around for most of the day while he was cutting trees with a power saw. The bear kept its distance mind you, but was not afraid of him and the saw. You almost wonder if the animals are curious or just think there might be some food left open for them to find....

Basscat · 09-25-2005, 01:46 PM

Here is another pic.

cayugad · 09-26-2005, 07:46 PM

I meant to ask you, what species of hawk is this? It looks a little like a Red Tail Hawk or a Broad Wing Hawk but I can not tell... really nice pictures though....

Basscat · 09-27-2005, 07:40 PM

I believe it is a redtail hawk.

s. il. hntr · 09-27-2005, 08:23 PM

3 posts since feb. 03 where ya been?

Basscat · 09-30-2005, 04:35 PM

Near as I can tell....I got lost gutting out an old house inside and out. After that, purchased a small peace of land anddecided tobuild a new house. Took me 1 1/2 years to build the new house.