Three raptor delights from Athens in SE Ohio:

1) Sitting on our porch bench tonight,  a bird call reached my ear and my brain tried to assign it to a Downy Woodpecker’s kikikiki call – only it was too loud. Then I suspected a falcon, and stepping out on the lawn, there was indeed a Merlin perched on our spruce tree top! This summer, American Kestrels had also used the perch, and they are more vocal than Merlins. This is the 20th appearance of a Merlin on our tree since 2014. 

2) Last week, a perched immature Red-tailed Hawk was quickly discovered by three Blue Jays, which positioned themselves on branches above, calling, and launching dive-bomb attacks to its back and its head. The jays were clearly touching the hawk as some of the feathers on its head got ruffled up. Other than eying the jays above it, and slightly wing-flicking on each attack, the hawk seemed unimpressed by the harassing jays, and started to preen its wing. However, about 10 jay attacks, and probably also an approaching crow, were enough for it to move on.

3) Another day the same week, an immature Cooper's Hawk was also surrounded by two scolding Blue Jays. It was interested to see that the jays were clearly more cautious about getting too close to this bird-hunting hawk than to the less agile Red-tailed Hawk. These jays surely know their raptors...

Stefan
––––––
Dr. Stefan Gleissberg
Athens Area Birders
groups.io/g/athensbirders <http://groups.io/g/athensbirders>
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