The faint twittering of foraging Juncos emanates from the ground beneath the tangle of honeysuckle branches. While above and to the back, White-throated Sparrows call out to “Old Sam Peabody”. The red and brown shapes of Cardinals blur in the earlier morning light. It’s daybreak on “Waltons’ Mountain”.
A half hour later, bundled up against the cold, Ann is carrying coffee cans of seed to the seemingly unending assortment of tray, stump and tube feeders. The blue jays and crows are finally awake and letting their precocious presence known. Then, from high in the cottonwood, comes a high piercing cry. The wintering resident Red-shouldered Hawks have arrived and are demanding their breakfast.
Years ago we set up a raptor feeding station, a simple 3 foot square of marine plywood fastened to the top of a 3 foot post. During the cold winter months, we place a variety of small road kill, chicks or mice on the platform to help the birds during any severe sieges of weather. Throughout the years, Red-tailed, Coopers’ and Red-shouldered Hawks, Screech and Great-horned Owls, as well as families of crows have enjoyed the banquet of delicacies.
But “our” pair of Red-shoulders are the constant winter regulars, showing up around Thanksgiving four years ago. At first timid, but now recognizing us, they have become quite comfortable with our presence. Around 8:30 each morning, one of the “Reds” positions itself about 30 feet up in an ash tree about 50 feet from the feeder, while the other works its way down to a perch around 100 feet away in the opposite direction. They then call to let us know it is feeding time, and wait patiently for Ann to trudge down the hill between the sitting pair to empty her zip lock bag of “goodies” onto the platform. Sometimes, armed with a large knife, she eviscerates the larger prey for the small beaked Red-shoulders, a task Bob willingly delegates to her. When Ann gets back to the seed storage shed, the 2 hawks are already down at the feeder. After their fill, they fly back to a high perch in the cottonwood, spending some looking down for more prey in the large marsh behind the house.
So each Thanksgiving, “Our” Red-shoulders announce their arrival and stay until the spring snow melts and their regular prey becomes available. Infrequently, we may see them fly by during the warmer months, but they never stop to beg.
OBTW, you can easily install your own feeding station. It won’t take long for a needed raptor to find it.
