I Have A Hawk Hanging Around Right At My House

Discussion in 'Science & Nature' started by John Brunner, Jul 8, 2021.

  1. Don Alaska

    Don Alaska Supreme Member
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    I don't know, but the reference I saw was to panels in Arizona. China once said they would destroy America using the environment and race. I guess they are now using the gender issue as well.
     
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  2. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    It's not as though we're making it hard for them.

    Here's a story on a solar array in California killing birds. It concentrates sunlight (kinda like Archimedes Mirror.) The workers there call the avian meteorites "streamers." 6,000 streamers every year. That's 15 a day. Don't they fine oil companies for this kind of stuff?
     
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  3. Don Alaska

    Don Alaska Supreme Member
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    That is the kind of thing I was writing about. Yes, they do fine oil companies for doing damage to the environment that the "environmentalists" get away with scot-free.
     
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  4. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    So the family of barred owls I had at that tree this time last year had not returned there. A month or so ago I caught site of one owl there, but I think it was a great horned owl and not a barred owl. I guess this is to be expected, since large owl species do not hit sexual maturity until they are 2 years old.

    Earlier in the spring I was working on my garden in the middle of the afternoon, and right at the treeline a barred owl hooted so daggone loud I jumped out of my skin! I think it was messing with me. So either the mother owl or maybe one of last year's owlets have taken up permanent residence right around where they were hanging out last year. I've spooked it when looking out my patio door and noticed it it fly from its perch in the middle of the yard to its home near the treeline.

    Barred Owl Call


    I've also hear a great horned owl on occasion. I've not heard one here before. I mentioned this in the July 4 thread...on Sunday July 3 my neighbor was setting off pro amateur fireworks, and I was standing in my front yard watching. There was a lull in the action, and right near me just in the trees I heard a loud "HOOOOT!!!!"

    I was out on my deck about 10AM the next morning and heard the barred owl in the back yard calling for something or someone.

    Then last night (July 7) around 9PM I heard the horned owl at the tree right outside my living room window hooting repeatedly. I went out the back patio door (it slides quietly) and crept to the corner of the house, while the thing continued to call. It was nearly completely dark, but I thought I might peek around the corner and catch a glimpse of it. I saw nothing, and the calls stopped. Obviously, it either saw or heard me.

    Great Horned Owl
     
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    Last edited: Jul 8, 2022
  5. Mary Stetler

    Mary Stetler Veteran Member
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    We have had great horned owls at the farm for years. This year they were flushed from the woods by something and didn't come back. At hubby's house we have had barred owls and screech owls. The barred owls had babies last year but did not come back. I think their nesting tree fell.
     
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  6. Nancy Hart

    Nancy Hart Veteran Member
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    There were two "hoot owls" in town about a month ago calling to each other late at night. It's a spooky sound. But not as spooky as a screech owl sound. I've never heard one of those in Georgia yet.

    A big hawk showed up just about dusk last week. That post is at least 8" diameter. Hope he picks up a couple of squirrels.

    upload_2022-7-9_11-0-21.png
     
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  7. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    I cannot find a lot of info on how each subsequent generation establishes new territory. I have read that they do not wander far from where they were born, but don't know much beyond that. I've wondered if the ones that appeared on my property were driven from elsewhere, but am unaware of any construction in the region. And my neighbor has lived here for over 35 years and has always had an owl presence.

    I've only seen the one barred owl from the family of 4 that was here last year. I commented before that they take 2 years to reach sexual maturity, so if one of the young-uns has staked this out as his/her territory, I would not expect to see babies until next year at the earliest. That's an interesting point about the nesting tree. We had a nasty snow storm last year that felled a bunch of trees here.
     
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  8. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    I love the way those birds sit upright...more like humans than like birds. So how skittish is that hawk? All the ones on my property can see me through the patio door all the way from the end of the property, and it sends them flying away.
     
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  9. Nancy Hart

    Nancy Hart Veteran Member
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    That's about as close as it ever gets. Picture was taken maybe 80' away between the deck posts (cropped out). Usually any movement at that distance and it takes off.
     
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  10. John Brunner

    John Brunner Senior Staff
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    I walk about 8' inside the house away from my patio door to get to the kitchen. Even that movement spooked an owl that was in a tree way far away. Had it not flown to the woods at that moment, I would never have known it was even there in the first place.
     
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  11. Mary Stetler

    Mary Stetler Veteran Member
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    I guess there are different screech owl calls. Ours is a trilling sound like this one.

     
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  12. Nancy Hart

    Nancy Hart Veteran Member
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    We always heard them at long distance in Ohio. They also make a whinny sound. Like a woman screaming for help.

    LINK (choose the first song if you want to hear it)
     
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  13. Mary Stetler

    Mary Stetler Veteran Member
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    Sorry, that is what it is supposed to sound like. I can't hear mine turned all the way up. At youtube I could hear it towards the end.
    I was at a barn one time and heard an old lady calling for help. It sounded like she was in the attic. I got down the ladder, climbed up and found...
    a peacock!!! Talk about scared.
     
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  14. Nancy Hart

    Nancy Hart Veteran Member
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    About a week ago, constant screech coming from the direction of a couple of big oak trees in the neighbor's back yard. It went on ALL DAY LONG. I finally guessed it was a juvenile hawk yelling for attention, but I can't see it. It went on for 3 days, stopped a day, and is back again. If this were my kid, I'd seriously think of putting it up for adoption. ;)

    Sounds exactly like this guy.
     
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    Last edited: Jul 26, 2022
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  15. Hoot Crawford

    Hoot Crawford Veteran Member
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    My daily walking route takes me to a bridge on a large lake (15,000 acres) here in Central Florida. I was out at sunrise the other day, and saw 6 red-tailed hawks cruising along the lake and around the trees on the shoreline. My thought was, what a great day and a great place to be such a majestic creature. Truly inspiring...
     
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