.........Last Updated: 18 March 2014.........

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The Red Tailed Hawks of Our Valley

Here is an article I wrote about the Red Tail Hawk and Coco Chanel, my Silverlace Polish hen:

I'm writing for several reasons, today.  First, but not least, I am responding to yesterday's article on the headless chicken and who might be the guilty party that "done her in". I found it interesting that the finger seems to be pointing to a bird of prey since it appears that the coyotes leave the head after a kill. I live in the same area as Betty __NN___ "over the hills from Rossmoor". I, also, raise chicken and have been for over thee years. I have never lost a chick or hen to wild predators until just recently.  And, this is what I experienced.   I had noticed some months ago that a pair of young red tail hawks were in our oak trees very early in the mornings because they were very verbal to the point of being annoying.   When I'd go to the chicken coop each morning, I noticed they were perched in oaks next to the chicken yard.   To make a long story shorter, I noticed many of my chickens had stopped laying eggs.  This was unusual for that time of the year. As the days passed,  the number of egg were  fewer and fewer ...  I wondered, was it the chicken or were the eggs being taken?  Skunks?  Raccoons?   Foxes?   I had seen a fox running by the fence a week earlier.   The mystery of this "egg case" continued through July and Aug.   I asked people in the know and they all seem to have the same problem.  The egg count was down. So, I thought, maybe it was our weather which has been crazy (too chilly and then hot) or maybe the chickens were starting to molt.  They do not lay eggs when they are molting  (losing their feathers), I noticed that one hen had some feathers missing on her back side.   Never gave it another thought that the missing feathers were giving me warning of what was going to happen next.   The next evening, I found my Silverlace Polish dead inside the chicken yard. The head was missing and the breast area was gone.  It was obvious that this was a kill of an expert who knew the best part.  Since it was almost dark, I didn't want to deal with the kill so I locked up the chickens and plan to return the next morning and deal with the burial....   The next morning, it was about 7:00 and the sun had not come up over the hill, I went out to attend to the remains....    But I was too late.   Much to my surprise, all that was left of the chicken were her feathers and bites and pieces scattered and the yellow jackets that covered the ground showing the trail of attack which was down the steps and to the fence as well as the removal of parts of the remains.  Later that day, I walked the fence line looking for holes under the fence or places where a coyote or fox might have gone over... There was a place where something larger than a house cat had bent the six-foot chicken wire fence down to less than four feet.... On the other side was a place where there were feathers and the grass was pushed flat. Fence was fixed, holes were blocked....  As for the chickens, they must have witnessed the death of their friend, because they were hiding under their large brush and not out scratching and eating. Egg production completely stopped. All the egg laying hens sarted molting which is, again, unusual because only a few molt at a time.  My guess is they are stressed.  So, I've been watching the sky and the ground for evidence of the culprit or culprits returning.   I was pointing my finger at the fox because of the eggless nesting boxes....  Until  yesterday when I read your reply to Betty about the "missing head".    I had known that birds of prey, such as red tailed hawks, might have been my culprit that caused the death of my chicken.    And, it appears the "missing head" might prove the case against birds of prey, such as hawks and owls.    And, the nightly visitor or visitors who finished the meal might have been our resident fox or raccoons, maybe a skunk.   The coyotes are also possibilities, but they make enough noise to know when they are visiting, so, I don't think it was they.

The other reason I'm writing is about an earlier letter you present on the 31st of Aug about the hawks and crows.   It has been my pleasure to watch a family of red tail hawks survive in this valley for over 30 years.  It wasn't until we bought are present home about 14 years ago when I experienced the most amazing sight.  The adult red tail hawks, there were about eight or more, cleared away the crows from this area.  The hawks were brutal and very serious in their attacks.   Several days later, while in my detached building in a grove of oaks, I heard so much noise   that I had to step outside to see what on earth was happening. Eight hawks had returned and they were flying up up into the air and diving down then back up into what seemed like a very noisy ballet.    Thank goodness for the PBS channel and their programs on nature, I quickly realized what was happening above me.  These hawks were going through the ritual of mating.  All eight, two by two, were going up into the sky, touching, swirling and coming back down....  I watched in complete awe.   Six of these hawks flew out of my range of observation but the two oldest remained in this area.  They were marvelous to watch as they bred, hunted and taught their young how to survive.  Crows have been kept out of this area and if they do reappear, the hawks chase them out of the area.  About two years ago, the two oldest hawks, whom seem to have been a pair all these years, turn their territory over to one of their offspring with whom they seem to have a special interest from the start. The adults took great care with their child and then they left the juvenile for a time.  The juvenile remained in the valley and I've seen this  juvenile almost daily. The parents returned now and then as if  to make sure all was  right with their child.   Another young hawk appeared after a great deal of calling and calling by the juvenile and these two, now, are a pair.  And it was these two hawks who were overseeing my chicken yard....    With the lost of mice and voles, their favorite food, this last winter due to the long rainy weather, and  porbably with baby mouths to stuff, this pair, out of desperation, focused on my and probably Betty's chickens.   Of course I cannot say they are the guilty party, but, going over the facts, it seems it a probability that they were the culprits leading to the death of my Silverlace Polish chicken.

The lost of the number of mice and voles have affected all of our creatures living around us.  And, from what I understand, the largest of the predators, the mountain lion, has been hunting in our area, again.  So, be careful, you may come face to face with something larger than a house cat.

Thanks, again, for providing us with your news column, Gary.   It is always a pleasure to read what you have to say.  And, you, Gary, are so correct, we don't need to travel anywhere else to enjoy the wild creatures because they are around us. Just take the time and look.

Judy A. Remmick-Hubert