Schiess: Murder in the backyard: Sharp-shinned hawks

The House finches, House sparrows and American goldfinches were eating lunch at my feeders when a diving blur split the cold air, knocking a House finch to the ground as it left the feeder. The small hawk quickly dispatched the hapless bird, carried it to a large thick evergreen in the front yard, quickly peeled off the breast feathers before starting lunch.

While the hawk was enjoying its warm lunch in the front yard, the songbirds returned to the black oil sunflower seeds in the back yard. Another blur, and a streaking sharp-shinned interrupted their feeding again, and this time a House sparrow became the victim of this low-flying assassin. Carrying the lifeless bird to a nearby fence, the hawk decapitated it, and then created a mini blizzard of feathers as it quickly got down to the feeding business.

“Nature can be so cruel,” I thought to myself as I began taking pictures of the dismemberment of the finch’s body. The Pagan-hearted hawk grabbed the bird’s neck near the base of the skull, twisting the head back and forth until it finally popped off. The hawk almost fell over backwards as the parts separated. With the head, legs and wings removed it flew to the thick canopy of an evergreen to finish the meal.

This was the second time I have witnessed a double murder by Sharp-shinned hawks in my backyard in one day. It seemed like an adult was teaching a half-yearling their murderous ways. I was astounded how quickly the victim was consumed. When it was done eating, this small hawk glanced over its shoulder at me, leisurely took off with the rib cage and headed for the river bottoms. Once out past its hunting ground, the rib cage was dropped in a field and soon a scavenger of the West, a magpie, found and ate what was left.

For the next three days one of the hawks enjoyed the songbird smorgasbord of my yard. Magpies would often try to steal the snacks while the hawks were feeding, but all the black and white marauders got were crumbs from the hawks’ table.

Sharp-shinned hawks are agile fliers and are built to accelerate quickly from their perch while hidden deep in thick brush. Like many dangerous things, they seek out dark areas to hide and attack from. With its short wings, long legs and a long tail that acts as a rudder while flying through brush, these raptors can catch birds quickly. They have learned my feeders are an endless convenience store that never runs out … and the food is cheap (except for me).

This bird’s favorite attack is to flush the birds off the feeders, hide in a fir tree and then ambush a returning bird before it can change directions and gain enough speed to escape. Once the predator is rested and well hidden, as other birds show up; a murder occurs.

I have visited with these hawks several times and told him they are welcome as long as starlings, House finches and House sparrows are their daily bread. I have never seen the small hawks harvest a Chickadee (one of my favorites) as they use the thick brush to harass and tease the assassins. Once I catch them with one of my preferred birds, the violence will have to stop or they will be banished from my backyard.