Snapshot: Cooper’s Hawk

I very rarely use my phone to take bird photos but it was necessary in this case. Cooper’s Hawks have been nesting near my home for several years and have come to view my yard as a hunting ground for birds and chipmunks. They occasionally use the railings of my front porch as a perch to scan for the plentiful chipmunks. Here are a pair of hawks on the railing with their eyes on that rabbit browsing in the grass near the walk. I had no time to go for my camera and used my phone. Unfortunately for them (and my plants), an adult rabbit is too large for them to capture. The closest hawk did make an attack but the rabbit was too quick and ran into the nearby shrubs. It was back out almost immediately and kept feeding in full view of the hawks. It apparently knew it was too much for the hawks and not a danger when they were plainly visible. The hawks finally decided it wasn’t a great idea and they took off to look for smaller game.