As I walked over the hill, I saw two big blobs on the road making noises back and forth. As my feet stopped, the camera came out of my pocket. I didn’t know what I was seeing or hearing, but I wanted to photograph the scene.
The blobs were large birds, probably hawks. Their wings were extended in arcs, and their tail feathers were splayed.
Although I kept my distance, the birds were aware of me. One flew to the fence. When I looked at the image on the computer screen, I could see some white markings on its back. When son John $pencer looked at it with me, we decided these were probably Cooper’s hawks.
The hawk on the road stayed there after the one on the fence flew away. I wonder if it felt foolish, holding that puffed-up stance. It pulled itself together and flapped off. This was an exciting way to start the day.
Mehrling Muse 
I worried for a bit that one was injured but it sounds like they took off just fine. Maybe it was their fall dance! 🙂 We get Cooper hawks here too. We have smaller ones too and I’m not happy when they use my bird feeders as their dining room.
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I’ve seen red tailed hawks, but the Cooper’s Hawk was new to me.
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When my boys were young and we went on trips it was a game for them to see who could spot the hawks along the roadside.
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Wonderful game!!
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I don’t know, but with all that puffing up and strutting, they sound a little political to me. 🙂
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Ha! Ha! Good one!
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Awesome sighting!
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What a treat to see !!!!
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Goodness!
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I love that you usually have that cell phone camera at the ready!! Ha ha! Those looked like Cooper’s hawks to me too. It looks like a play for dominance, with wings spread and feathers puffed out (to look bigger than they are). What an exciting observance! Good work, Anne!
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I wondered if the hawks were going through mating rituals, but your suggestion of a power struggle seems more likely at this time of year.
I use a small camera instead of the phone. I have no need for high resolution photos, and the camera can save them in small files. My cell phone has no choice for that, so each picture is a large file. Big photos clog up email and eat up space in WordPress.
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Hi
Wonderful photo shoot . Nice Blobs birds. Is it danger Bird.?
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Hawks eat small animals like baby rabbits, moles, and mice. They might also eat small birds.
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How fun to get to see this!
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I had never seen anything like it.
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What a lovely experience. Good morning indeed. How large were they?
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The hawks were about 15 to 20 inches long.
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I think they were dancing in the streets. I would say I would chase them away, but they looked as big as me, so maybe not.
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I like your idea of hawks dancing in the street. Someone suggested they could have been arguing over territory. Hawks have wicked talons, so I’m glad you wouldn’t take with them.
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Wouldn’t TANGO with them.
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Oh, my. No, I wouldn’t. Now, a hummingbird is a different story…
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Wow I have never seen two hawks together, let alone sitting on the ground!
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I’d never seen two hawks together, either. A couple of people suggested they were having a territorial dispute.
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I hope they were politely discussing the transfer of power!
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Wow! What terrific visitors you were blessed to enjoy!
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I don’t think the hawks were happy, but I was!
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Wow!! There’s a sight we don’t see in the city! A mating dance I’m thinking. Or…?
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I assumed it was a mating dance, too, but others suggested they may have been arguing about territory. This does seem a very cold time of year for mating.
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Ah ok. But Anne, is it cold now where you are? Would you believe here it’s been 70 F for days?! Very strange!
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Our temps go that high, but we’ve had lots of mornings when they’ve been below freezing. I wouldn’t want to be sitting on eggs!
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😜
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Odd they were just sitting there on the road like that. Those Cooper’s Hawks are what took my house squirrels and circle over the Park now looking to make my furry friends their prey. I saw one yesterday at the Park when I was walking. It had a huge body and wingspan as it flew overhead.
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I’m glad the hawks here were fighting with each other and not preying on other animals.
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Me too Anne. I saw one the other day – the wingspan is very big and they have heavy bodies – no wonder they can pick up my furry friends so easily. We had a Peregrine Falcon in the neighborhood about 5-6 years ago. I was walking down the driveway and heard a bird shrieking … a horrible noise. Looked up in the air and a falcon was chasing a medium-sized bird. The prey was making a lot of noise and finally no more noise. I didn’t look up, but felt a little sick.
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You had a close encounter! I saw a hawk swoop down for a rabbit. The rabbit ran along under the fence, and the hawk couldn’t get it. The fence got in the way of his wings, and he had little control in the air.
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Glad the rabbit escaped … Jeff said he saw a hawk in his backyard get a Fox squirrel. It’s a large backyard, so the hawk would have no problem swooping down and grabbing a squirrel if it was in the middle of the yard and no chance to hide.
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Have many up here Anne. Have lost a chicken or two over the years to them.
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I always hope Ariel, Logan’s chicken, will escape the hawks we have here. I’ve seen red tailed hawks several times, but the Cooper’s hawk was new to me.
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