Hawks are Nature, Too

Natural wildlife purists have castigated me, in the past, for putting up feeding stations to attract wild animals and birds to my yard. Some of the reasons they’ve given: It’s not natural – birds and other wildlife should be encouraged to forage on their own, otherwise they become dependent on humans. Bird feeders attract predators, including hawks, who then prey on the wild birds and the squirrels. Animals and birds hanging out in your yard can spread diseases. Birds in flight can wham into windows, and become injured.

Others, who are themselves birders and wildlife aficionados, think that feeding stations are a positive thing, for various reasons: Much of bird and wildlife habitat has given way to urban sprawl and suburbs. Animals and birds are displaced, and have fewer locations to forage. Feeding stations even out the disparity between natural habitat and human space. Yes, birds sometimes hit windows – I’ve rehabilitated several – but they can still bang into the glass in locations with no feeding stations, as well. Clean feeders in well-kept areas are no more disease prone than in Nature. And, well, the hawks and predators gotta eat, too.

Yes, the occasional sparrow or squirrel is taken by a feral cat. Which in turn are sometimes on the menu for owls and hawks… they are called “raptors” for a reason. Yesterday, the Northern Harrier whom we named “NoisyHawk” for her repeated piercing cry, took a small bird right out of our front yard, not ten feet from the picture window. She flew triumphantly away with her prize, proclaiming it loudly to anyone who could hear. My husband Dave witnessed the harvest (he is not as bird-savy as I, so all he could tell was that it was not a cardinal or blue jay). To the nay-sayers who begrudge the raptors their reaping, I reply, NoisyHawk is part of Nature, too. She deserves to eat as much as any other bird.

There also are kestrels, three or four species of owl, and red-tailed hawks dwelling in this area. The barred owl asks “who cooks for you?” while the great horned owl wonders “who, who?” At night, they hunt for raccoons, opossums, bats, squirrels, field mice, moles, voles, and yes, the occasional stray cat. The red-tailed hawks mostly migrate to warmer climates, and thus aren’t around to prey on the bird feeders during winter. The kestrels clean out the invasive species, like English sparrows and starlings, who can take over a habitat and monopolize all of the seeds. But Noisyhawk? She’s here all year, and we can’t begrudge her the occasional bird.

Northern Harrier aka NoisyHawk.

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