Fun at work

[urbpan]

We got a radio call that there was "a cool hawk on bird hill," so my coworker and I went up to look. We crept up quietly and found this juvenile red-tailed hawk standing on top of the barred owl cage, gazing hungrily down at the owl's uneaten food (dead mice).





After a while, we edged up closer, and it became obvious that the hawk wasn't going to be easily spooked. We edged up closer and watched it for a few more minutes. Suddenly it flew to a split rail fence, fairly near us.



How near us?



Pretty damn near us. Then it flew up onto the red-tailed hawk cage; our captives screamed at it and cowered.



It was an unexpectedly good educational opportunity.

Comments

[zipotle.livejournal.com]

That is INCREDIBLY cool.

[turil.livejournal.com]

Do you think it might have been a previously caged hawk, that was used to human handling?

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

It's possible, and that's what my coworker suspected ("I've never seen that hawk around here before").

I think it's also possible that it's a young inexperienced bird having a hard time finding food.

[wakarusa.livejournal.com]

I have noticed our young ones out here doing some things the older birds don't - flying lower and too close to houses, cars, dogs, etc. They seem incredibly curious and not afraid of much.

[plantgirl.livejournal.com]

Oh, my. How wonderful.

[momomom.livejournal.com]

I wonder if the captive hawks somehow made it feel it was a safe and/or desirable environment to hang out in.

[ankhanu.livejournal.com]

Absolutely spectacular!

[markurock.livejournal.com]

I know that they will compete for space, were the ones that you have there not down with the young enterloper?
And what happened in the end, did it ever find the much sought out food?
AND, did it leave, or try to take up a territory there?

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

Our captive hawks were horrified.

We eventually left, and it was still hanging around (this was last Thursday). Someone saw it on Friday, noone so far as I know saw it on Saturday, and I'll find out the rest of the story, if any, tomorrow.

[markurock.livejournal.com]

Wow... I hope for it's sake, that it finds a good home range.
BTW, I was gunna throw this out with my last post and forgot.
Woodland Park Zoo releases all of there rehabilitated bald eagles up here on the Nooksack River (try not to laugh, I didn't name the damn thing), anyway, I had to drive through some of the country side to where I get my car fixed, and I saw 2 either red tails, or rough legged hawks, an eagle perching in a tree in the front yard of a milk farm (that was next to the road I was driving on, the eagle was about 25 feet from my car!), and a flock (if you can say eagles really do that) of 5 or 6 bald eagles flying up the river bed... all in a matter of about 20 minutes! I do love the wildlife up here!!!!!
I post this, as significant, because generally you'll see a raptor or two a week... I had two weeks worth in 20ish minutes! It made my day.
Also, FYI, Bald eagles are an icon to local native American tribes of good luck/ good fortune. My car only needed power steering fluid, checked all of my other auto fluids, only took 10 minutes, and no charge for the fluid or shop time... are eagles lucky? Well, are they? LOL! :D

[markurock.livejournal.com]

Damn, BTW, this is yet another way cool post!!!

[miz-geek.livejournal.com]

Cool!
I love the look on its face in picture #3.
Poor guy's probably hungry.