Administrators Eric Posted May 31, 2019 Administrators Share Posted May 31, 2019 I was driving earlier, down a tree-lined road. I saw a hawk flying down the road below the tree line, in the same direction I was going. I noticed it was carrying something almost as big as it was. Turns out it was a dead squirrel. The hawk appeared to be struggling to gain enough altitude to clear the treetops, so he was trapped over the road and I think my approaching car was spooking him. Or maybe he was just getting tired. Anyway, as I drew near, the ****** dropped the dead squirrel, which would have hit my hood or passenger/front fender if I hadn’t swerved. I doubt that a dead squirrel falling fifteen feet onto the hood of a car going 25mph would have done any damage, but it startled me just the same. I’ve got to give the hawk high points for his effort. He wasn’t very big and that was a big squirrel. When I passed back by the same spot about twenty minutes later, the squirrel was gone. I hope the hawk came back and got him, successfully this time. It was quite a prize for him. 3 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walt Longmire Posted June 1, 2019 Share Posted June 1, 2019 I have seen eagles catch fish they couldn't fly with and then have to swim to shore. The eagle swam. The fish was too dead to swim. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
railfancwb Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 Predatory birds - raptors and others - often drop prey from height to stun or kill it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Eric Posted June 3, 2019 Author Administrators Share Posted June 3, 2019 29 minutes ago, railfancwb said: Predatory birds - raptors and others - often drop prey from height to stun or kill it. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk That squirrel was deader than disco before he got dropped. Either that, or he was very, very relaxed. 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Historian Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 Just now, Eric said: That squirrel was deader than disco before he got dropped. Either that, or he was very, very relaxed. It was a gift. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Eric Posted June 3, 2019 Author Administrators Share Posted June 3, 2019 Just now, Historian said: It was a gift. We had a cat that would put dead mice in bed with us, when I was a kid. It also left a dead mouse under the Christmas tree and a dead pigeon in front of the fridge. That cat loved to kill things. And gift them to others. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Historian Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 1 minute ago, Eric said: We had a cat that would put dead mice in bed with us, when I was a kid. It also left a dead mouse under the Christmas tree and a dead pigeon in front of the fridge. That cat loved to kill things. And gift them to others. Most people don't really know just how dangerous cats are! https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanhatesthis/cats-are-deadly-unstoppable-killing-machines 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moshe Posted June 3, 2019 Share Posted June 3, 2019 5 minutes ago, Eric said: We had a cat that would put dead mice in bed with us, when I was a kid. It also left a dead mouse under the Christmas tree and a dead pigeon in front of the fridge. That cat loved to kill things. And gift them to others. When I wasn't feeling well, the last cat that came in to eat, and air conditioning, or heating would leave me voles and mice on the porch. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Eric Posted June 3, 2019 Author Administrators Share Posted June 3, 2019 6 minutes ago, Historian said: Most people don't really know just how dangerous cats are! https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanhatesthis/cats-are-deadly-unstoppable-killing-machines Cats wouldn’t be so cute, if we were a foot tall. I find it interesting that killing prey AND eating it are both instinctive actions for dogs, but cats only kill instinctively. Eating what they kill is a learned skill, taught to them by their mother, or by other cats, if they are around cats that hunt for food. I imagine some cats figure it out on their own, but it isn’t something that is hardwired into them. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PATCHMAN Posted June 4, 2019 Share Posted June 4, 2019 I love to watch hawks eat their lunch, whether it be squirrels, chipmonks or pigeons. Eat from the inside out... fresh and warm internal organs and what not. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Historian Posted June 4, 2019 Share Posted June 4, 2019 1 hour ago, Eric said: Cats wouldn’t be so cute, if we were a foot tall. I find it interesting that killing prey AND eating it are both instinctive actions for dogs, but cats only kill instinctively. That's because cats think we are there to serve them. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Eric Posted June 4, 2019 Author Administrators Share Posted June 4, 2019 16 minutes ago, Historian said: That's because cats think we are there to serve them. Aren’t we? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Eric Posted June 4, 2019 Author Administrators Share Posted June 4, 2019 54 minutes ago, Presguy said: Tell that hawk that if he's ready for another meal he's welcome to stop by my back yard. He and the dog can work as a team on the flock of squirrels constantly staking out my birdfeeder. I think he will be eating on that squirrel for a while. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RenoF250 Posted June 4, 2019 Share Posted June 4, 2019 I guess there are quite a few birds that will puke to empty their stomach if they have to get out in a hurry. Weight matters to airborne things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Historian Posted June 4, 2019 Share Posted June 4, 2019 3 hours ago, Eric said: Aren’t we? Probably! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Historian Posted June 5, 2019 Share Posted June 5, 2019 Eric, it dawns on me that perhaps the hawk was giving you a warning. Watch out, buddy. He could be coming back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Eric Posted June 5, 2019 Author Administrators Share Posted June 5, 2019 1 hour ago, Historian said: Eric, it dawns on me that perhaps the hawk was giving you a warning. Watch out, buddy. He could be coming back. I can give him .45 reasons he wouldn’t want to do that. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Historian Posted June 5, 2019 Share Posted June 5, 2019 50 minutes ago, Eric said: I can give him .45 reasons he wouldn’t want to do that. We actually had a local man recently attacked my a nesting hawk. He must have walked too close to the nest and she took action. He did not have a number of reasons to convince the bird otherwise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Eric Posted June 5, 2019 Author Administrators Share Posted June 5, 2019 14 minutes ago, Historian said: We actually had a local man recently attacked my a nesting hawk. He must have walked too close to the nest and she took action. He did not have a number of reasons to convince the bird otherwise. Well, that is just poor planning on his part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huaco Kid Posted June 5, 2019 Share Posted June 5, 2019 As I was pulling into a large dirt lot, I saw a big hawk divebomb the field in front of me. He took off with a huge snake. I don't know if he just lost his grip or if he was getting bitten, but he dropped the snake from a couple hundred feet up. The way the snake was gyrating and twisting in freefall makes me think that he instantly knew what was coming. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huaco Kid Posted June 5, 2019 Share Posted June 5, 2019 47 minutes ago, Historian said: We actually had a local man recently attacked my a nesting hawk. He must have walked too close to the nest and she took action. We often run into pissed-off momma hawks and falcons. I've been hit while climbing ladders. I never got cut or clawed but I've met people who have. Cut bad, like, needing stitches bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janice6 Posted June 5, 2019 Share Posted June 5, 2019 On 6/3/2019 at 9:48 PM, Presguy said: Tell that hawk that if he's ready for another meal he's welcome to stop by my back yard. He and the dog can work as a team on the flock of squirrels constantly staking out my birdfeeder. My Squirrels are civilized. I see them coming to my back yard from all directions on the cameras. They clean up under the bird feeder and then go home. I haven't had a problem with them. It is funny to see them leaving in the same directions they came from. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
railfancwb Posted June 6, 2019 Share Posted June 6, 2019 As I was pulling into a large dirt lot, I saw a big hawk divebomb the field in front of me. He took off with a huge snake. I don't know if he just lost his grip or if he was getting bitten, but he dropped the snake from a couple hundred feet up. The way the snake was gyrating and twisting in freefall makes me think that he instantly knew what was coming.Dropping prey from great height is fairly standard procedure for raptors. The sudden stop kills or severely injured the prey. There are several videos on YouTube of bald eagles swimming to shore with fish they caught. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Eric Posted June 6, 2019 Author Administrators Share Posted June 6, 2019 NSFE: Animal violence. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Foxterriermom Posted June 7, 2019 Share Posted June 7, 2019 Over the course of the last 10-12 months, either my dogs and/or cat have left portions of four different squirrels as presents for me to find under the dining room table. I would be very happy for a hawk to rid them from my yard instead. Last summer I took pictures of a hawk eating a dove in the middle of the street right in front of my house. I felt bad for the dove, but it's the way of nature. You've got to wonder what a pterodactyl would have favored. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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