Of course, the camera was in the wrong room this morning when I looked out
the window to see a large bird on the ground under the feeder: an adult
Cooper's Hawk. The Coop was eying the Christmas tree that we have out there
as a shelter for the small birds, and there were birds in there, because the
Coop hopped up onto the trunk and peered in. It also tried going under the
tree, but there wasn't enough room. It stood under an azalea for a moment,
then it walked over to our front porch (alternating walking with short hops)
and jumped up onto a sawhorse that we have in front of the steps (broken
railing, we don't want anyone using the porch until we fix that). Small
birds must have been hiding under the porch, because the Coop looked down
and went under the porch between the steps, which have no risers. A moment
later it flew out, but my husband and I were unable to see whether it had
breakfast in its talons. 

 

Coops looked very weird and BIG when they are walking on the ground! I have
never seen one hunting that way before.

 

Pat Valdata

Elkton, MD