Hawk flying into a screened porch - yes it can happen !!!

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Nipper06
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Hawk flying into a screened porch - yes it can happen !!!

Post by Nipper06 » Fri Feb 01, 2008 1:33 am

I replied to a post almost a month old about this but, I thought I'd repost this as new so more people would see it. In case anyone is interested, I actually did have a hawk fly into my screen porch and he did so by flying right into the screen and tearing a hole into it.

I came home from work one day and, as I often do, I was just about ready to release my white dove in the porch for exercise. Luckilly, I noticed a hawk was in there! It was trying to get out - so I manovered around it and opened the door to the outside and then kind of drove it out the door - once it was out in the backyard, it just flew away.

I think the reason it flew into the porch was that I had a hanging bird feeder just a few feet outside of my porch. He was probably dive-bombing some birds at the feeder and he flew right into the screen. He must have hit it hard because the screen was cut almost in the shape of his body, with 2 large sideways slits where his wings must have hit. The hawk was uninjured and the screen he broke was the oldest screen in the porch so was probably the weakest.

Anyway, it can happen! From then on, I never let my birds fly out there unattended. The idea to make a porch into an aviary is a good one but I agree with whoever made the suggestion to leave the screen (to get rid of bugs) but to also put stronger aviary mesh on the inside - to keep animals and hawks from busting through the screen.

FeatherHarp

Post by FeatherHarp » Fri Feb 01, 2008 7:59 am

That is really something.....good thing you noticed the Hawk in there!

Last summer we had a Sharp Shinned Hawk crash into our kitchen window and he died. He looked to be a young one and must have been so intent on chasing the birds at our feeder that he just didn't see the window and flew in full speed! :shock: :shock: :shock:

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Nipper06
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Hawk in screened porch

Post by Nipper06 » Fri Feb 01, 2008 8:39 am

The hawk that came into my porch might have been a Sharp-Shinned because they are one of the hawks that attack bird feeders (I live in Delaware). We also have Coopers Hawks doing that also. You can have all these birds at your feeders for weeks and weeks... and then sometimes the feeders are full and there are no birds! That usually means a hawk came through.

I believe in the balance of nature and all so I don't believe in harassing the hawks (it's illegal anyway) - when they get too bad, I just stop feeding the birds for a while. But once, I was able to save a Mourning Dove that flew into my neighbors window - I think because a hawk scared him - because a hawk was frequently chasing and killing doves in my neighbors yard (where he fed the doves). I'm guessing the noise the dove made hitting the window scared the hawk away. My neighbor found the dove on the ground with what looked like a broken wing but he was not otherwise torn up by a hawk. So I took it to a bird rescue place and got a postcard that they released him a month or so later. My neighbor felt bad that the hawks were eating all his Mourning Doves so he stopped feeding them.

Some years, I just feed the hummingbirds because the hawks don't bother them and their feeders don't make so much mess. Here is a photo of one outside my bedroom window.

Image

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Post by BirdLover » Fri Feb 01, 2008 3:56 pm

We have a TON of Red-tailed hawks around here. You can even see them just sitting on street signs by the high-way.

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