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ummm red tail hawk all over this area...usually on those fence posts along the freeway.

posted by transcom on Jan 14, 2008 at 02:21:48 pm     #

"I looked up and there was the rest of the bunny in the tree - yuck!"

“There is no violence in nature, only cooperation Glasshopper”

Red Tailed or Cooper’s Hawk prob.

Sounds like a job for JR

posted by Offshore on Jan 14, 2008 at 02:30:43 pm     #

I also have a Red Tailed Hawk in my neighborhood in West Toledo. It landed right on my front porch and left a dead squirrel...I watched it fly from tree to tree for about half an hour.

A few days later...I was driving up to my house...and it was in my front yard...I flew off with what looked like another squirrel in its claws.

Several days after that...(about a week ago)...It was sitting in a tree behind my house for about an hour. I haven't seen it since. But, really wish he would take care some of the stray cats around our neighborhood. Also, my best friend who is 5'6 is afraid to come to my house because he thinks the Hawk will grab him and fly off with him....He's joking of course....

Anyway...I took some video and pics and did the research and found it was a Red Tail Hawk.

posted by Kooz on Jan 14, 2008 at 03:31:18 pm     #

Correction...paragraph two. I did not fly off with squirrel...the Hawk (it) did.

posted by Kooz on Jan 14, 2008 at 03:32:35 pm     #

A Cooper's Hawk is roughly the size of an American Crow while the Red-tailed Hawk is considerably larger. We've had two Cooper's Hawks, an adult and an immature, visiting our West Toledo backyard this winter, harassing the songbirds and occasionally snagging a Mourning Dove. Cooper's Hawks mostly eat other birds while Red-tailed Hawks mostly eat small mammals. But they both cross over to other food types depending upon the season and when an easy opportunity exists.

Since MaumeeMom's bird was chowing on rabbit, it was probably the Red-tailed Hawk, unless it was a tiny rabbit. I would think an adult rabbit would be too large for a Cooper's Hawk. Anyway, it's cool to see life in the food chain, nature that is, even if a cute animal gets shredded. Raptors need to eat too.

I saw a Red-tailed Hawk in our backyard a couple times last month, which is a bit unusual. Cooper's Hawks are more likely in an urban setting, especially if bird feeders are attracting little birds. These raptors are probably migrants that are hanging around for the winter and will head north when spring arrives. We have one or two Cooper's Hawks visiting our yard each fall and winter, but they disappear in the spring.

Like transcom said, the big birds you see right now along the highways and country roads, perched on lampposts, road signs, guardrails, telephone poles, and trees are typically Red-tailed Hawks. The adults will have the reddish or rust-colored tail. The belly-band on the Red-tailed Hawk is dark on some birds and faint on others.

Sometimes you'll see a small bird, hovering low along the side of the highway or in the median, even around the I-75/475 split in Toledo. That's the American Kestrel, which is a small falcon. When driving around our countryside, the Red-tailed Hawks will perch on the poles while the American Kestrels will perch on the wires.

Now if you're really lucky, you may see a Rough-legged Hawk in Lucas or Ottawa county. This is a northern raptor that's visiting us for the winter. A few are around right now. Rough-legged Hawks come in two different colors or morphs: dark and light. And they're slightly bigger than Red-tailed Hawks. Sometimes they perch at the top of tiny trees or bushes that appear too small to hold such a large bird. Drive around just south of Rt 2 a little east of Toledo, and you may see a Rough-legged Hawk.

posted by jr on Jan 14, 2008 at 04:06:48 pm     #

This is an adult Cooper's Hawk I photographed last month. The bird was too far from the house for a good photo, but you can see the light and dark bands on the underside of the tail.

And the immature Cooper's Hawk, also photographed last month. Besides the obvious difference in chest markings between the two Cooper's, the adult has red eyes and the immature has yellow eyes. The adult has a blue-gray back while the immature has a brown back.

Last May, Back to the Wild had injured raptors on display at Magee Marsh for International Migratory Bird Day.

Male American Kestrel

Adult Red-tailed Hawk

Note the tail differences between the Cooper's and Red-tailed hawks. The Cooper's has a relatively long, narrow tail with light and dark horizontal bands while the Red-tailed Hawk has a relatively short and wide tail without the obvious banding.

If the Red-tailed Hawk has chest markings, it will be a band of streaks on the belly. The Cooper's has extensive markings that start near the throat and extend down through most of the front of the bird.

And if you see a raptor in the city making wicked, aerial maneuvers as it slashes through bushes and trees and sometimes flies just above the ground as it makes a sneak attack, that will be the Cooper's Hawk. A Red-Tailed Hawk is more lumbering as it typically just swoops down on its prey from a perch. The Cooper's is the fighter jet while the Red-tailed might be an AC-130.

posted by jr on Jan 14, 2008 at 05:31:40 pm     #

FatBabe44, I removed your comment from above and reposted it here, since the "imageright" command was messing up the display. That command works fine for articles but not so much for comments. The simple way to embed an image is to surround the image URL with exclamation points like this :

!http://www.fnal.gov/ecology/wildlife/pics/Red_tailed_Hawk3.jpg!

---- FatBabe44's comment start ----

I also see them almost daily sitting on fence posts along the highways. Last week there was one sitting atop a street light on Angola near Reynolds. No biggie. Pretty common in the past few years.

To tell ya the truth, I've seen a lot of critters in the past few years that I never saw growing up. Isn't it great that our wildlife is making a comeback!

posted by FatBabe44 on Jan 14, 2008 at 05:09:45 pm

---- FatBabe44's comment end ----

posted by jr on Jan 14, 2008 at 06:06:37 pm     #

Thanks for the info; the pictures are great. It was definitely a red tailed hawk. I've never seen one in our 'burb before let alone been dive-bombed by one. That thing is huge! I hope that it doesn't make a habit of snacking in our tree.

Thanks again.

posted by MaumeeMom on Jan 14, 2008 at 07:21:41 pm     #

I believe I have a Sharp Shinned hawk using our bird feeders as a Dove buffet. The smaller head, as well as smaller sized overall, seems to be the identifying factor. We have piles of feathers in several places in the back yard and we have seen it perched frequently in a big hemlock and in an oak. They are not particularly shy.

posted by holland on Jan 15, 2008 at 12:12:14 am     #

I see Red-Tails all the time on Arlington Ave. between Glendale and S. Detroit. They are usually pearched on top of the lamp post in the center island very near MCO. I also believe I have seen a Bald Eagle in the same vicinity which is very near Swan Creek. JR...Do you know of any nesting Eagles in this area?

I also experienced seeing what I believe was a Coopers Hawk actually fly through a fully bloomed crabapple tree to snag a dove roosting on the branches and the hawk never missed a beat or became entangled. This all happen in a split second in my brothers front yard in the Cherrylawn neighborhood. I was truly amazed.

posted by KraZyKat on Jan 15, 2008 at 12:59:54 pm     #

Dear Maumee Mom, The Toledo Naturalists Association has a website where one may post bird sightings. To join you must register and establish a username and password.

Log on to www.rarebird.org

The second line is:
Toledo Area Rare Bird Alert (NW Ohio)

posted by flinty on Jan 15, 2008 at 02:29:50 pm     #

I'm not aware of any Bald Eagle nests in the Swan Creek area that you describe, KraZyKat. Yesterday, Jan 15, was the last day to report any eagle sightings as part of the winter survey. KraZyKat, if you're sure about your eagle sighting, call it in, anyway.

From the Jan 3, 2008 Ohio DNR news release :

Ohioans are encouraged to assist state wildlife biologists with the annual mid-winter eagle survey, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. Volunteers are urged to report any bald or golden eagle activities they observe between now and Tuesday, January 15 to the Crane Creek Wildlife Research Station at 419-898-0960.

The mid-winter survey is conducted each January as part of a nationwide tally to determine the wintering eagle populations in North America. Last year, 480 bald eagles were reported across Ohio, including 359 adults and 121 immature birds. The survey includes aerial observations, as well as monitoring from the ground by biologists.

"Today, there are more opportunities than ever for Ohioans to observe bald eagles in the wild, as the population of these magnificent birds continues to expand throughout the state," said Mark Shieldcastle, biologist with the Division of Wildlife. "The potential to see both resident eagles and those wintering-over is a reality in all parts of the state."

Most eagle nests in Ohio are located along the shores of Lake Erie, but a growing number are found well inland. Ohio's bald eagle population has gone only four active nesting pairs along southwestern Lake Erie in 1979 to the current modern-day record of 164 breeding pairs. Last year, 194 eaglets fledged from 116 successful nests in 39 Ohio counties.

The ODNR Division of Wildlife's work with bald eagles is funded through the sale of the bald eagle license plate. Proceeds from the sale of this plate are devoted to acquisition of habitat, as well as the management and study of bald eagles. Matching federal funds are provided through the State Wildlife Grant Program for the eagle restoration project and other wildlife diversity efforts of the Division of Wildlife that target species of greatest conservation need. Additional funding for bald eagle restoration is derived from contributions to the state's income tax check-off program, which supports wildlife diversity and endangered species. Eagle restoration efforts also can be supported by donations via the Internet at wildohio.com.

Ohio counties with the most number of active Bald Eagle nests in 2007 :

• Ottawa : 23
• Sandusky : 20
• Erie : 12

Last year, Lucas County had six active Bald Eagle nests while Wood County had four.

posted by jr on Jan 16, 2008 at 01:54:21 pm     #

Jan 6, 2008 column by Blade outdoor writer Steve Pollick :

Vincent Lopez, a resident of North Baltimore in southern Wood County, and Toledo firefighters at Station 13 on the Maumee River across from Tony Packo's in East Toledo have something wild in common. They all are watching bald eagles set up housekeeping in new nesting sites.

Fire Station 13 crews have been watching an eagle pair along the river just upstream from the house at Front and Consaul streets. "They've been here the last several months," said Lt. Mike Posadny. The treetop nest is in a small grove on private property.

Eagle pairs [in the Toledo area] at this time of year are busy refurbishing and enlarging last year's nest, or even moving to new sites and starting anew. Incubation of eggs starts in some nests as early as next month, with the bulk of nests starting in March.

posted by jr on Jan 16, 2008 at 02:01:40 pm     #

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