HomeMy WebLinkAboutOctober 06, 2005 - A hopeful hawke Suffolk Times • October 6, 2005
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I GET CALLS FROM many people about
the big hawk they have seen. Some-
times it's about a hawk chasing a squir-
rel through someone's back yard or
perhaps it's about a big hawk that's eat-
ing a rabbit alongside the road. Other
callers tell about a big hawk that's cir-
cling round and round over fields next
door. Nine times out of 10 it will be a
Suffolk Times photos by Barbara Stoutenburgh
FOCUS
ON
NATURE
by Paul
Stoutenburgh
Left: What's that I see down there? Some sort of cage
and inside, some tasty little chickens. Everybody loves
chicken. Let's look this situation over. This calls for a
new approach to an old oroblem.
red - tailed hawk.
Years ago, when most of our open
space was in farmland, there weren't as
many red -tails around because cultivat-
ed fields don't make such good cover
for mice, rats, moles, rabbits and oc-
casionally a bird or two. Today that has
changed. Farms have been sold; specu-
lators' farms lie idle just waiting for the
best time to develop. This change from
farmland to suburbia has made ideal
habitat for the red - tailed hawk.
The account below is about a red -
tailed hawk that loves chickens, particu-
larly young, tender ones. After circling
around and around on the warm sum-
mer thermals, Mr. Red - Tailed Hawk
sees something interesting.
now
r
w
Above: This is getting ridiculous. I go around one side to get close to those delicious - looking chickens andtheygoaroundtotheoppositeside. This just isn't fair. Guess it's like my father told me. Some days it goesyourway, some days it doesn't. Guess it's not going my way today.
Above: They're down there and I'm up here. Let's see
I'll go down and take a look. Boy, I've never been so
close to baby chickens in all my life.
Right: So I'm out of here, but let me tell you, chickens: I'm not finished with you yet. I'll be back.
P.S. True to his word, Mr. Red - Tailed
Hawk (also known as chicken hawk)
came back for three days, paying little at-
tention to anyone but those tender -look-
ing chickens, who are to this day safe in
their little cage.