Hi, In our backyard stands a large black walnut tree, which has become the focus of a squirrel nut-gathering frenzy. This morning 3 Red Squirrels and 3 Gray Squirrels were zipping up and down collecting nuts, then dashing into our shed or down a squirrel trail to the hedgerow, and back again.
While watching the action, I saw one Gray Sq. burying a nut in the grass; and an animal that looked squirrel-size was standing merely a few feet away, also in the grass. To my surprise, it was a juvenile Cooper's Hawk, which began hopping and running across the lawn toward the unsuspecting squirrel. The squirrel moved only when the hawk came within a couple of feet. Next I saw the hawk standing on the ground by a bush; the squirrel ambled toward a small tree which was near the hawk. The hawk hopped and ran, then flew the few feet to the trunk of the tree, nearly capturing the squirrel. Next scene: the 2 had moved over a few more feet, and were thrashing around in a redbud tree. The hawk did not get the squirrel for lunch, at least not in that encounter. I went away for a couple of hours, and returned to a much quieter yard. Tomorrow will tell whether the squirrel population has decreased or not. Susan Fast, Brooktondale -- Cayugabirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/CayugabirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/cayugabirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/Cayugabirds 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/CAYU.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
