I had a very similar experience a decade ago.  I posted the following 
message to this listserv earlier this year but no one replied that they'd 
witnessed similar behavior.  Thanks for posting your observation because 
now I know that there has been at least 1 other witness to this.  Thanks.



In late April, 2003 I was outside at 8:30 PM which was just past dusk.  I 

heard a “screech, screech, screech” cry of terror coming through the front 

yard and then saw a Coopers hawk with something in its talons flying about 

5’ off the ground.  It proceeded to fly down a stone path to a small, 

shallow pond that I own and settled on the path about 3’ from the pond and 

glowered.  It had a robin and the robin is what was screeching.  Even as 

the hawk was sitting on the path, the screeching kept going.  After about 

5 seconds of that, the hawk lifted up off the ground and flew over the 

pond about 2’ from the edge (5’ from where it had first lit).  

It “hunched” it wings so they were only partially spread from its body.  

It had its tail flared and its legs fully extended below its body with the 

robin in its right talons.  The hawk proceeded to let itself settle down 

into the water until it sank deep enough that its wingtips were about 1” 

into the water and its tail was starting to touch the water.  The robin 

quit squawking (since it was totally under water) and then the Coopers 

hawk flew back to the stone sidewalk and sat there and glowered for about 

10 seconds.  The robin was totally silent at that point.  Then the hawk 

took off again and headed for my apple orchard where I’ve seen evidence of 

past meals.  The robin started screeching again as the pair disappeared 

into the twilight.



SO the huge question is:  What was the hawk doing?!  Was it dunking the 

bird to try to drown it?  Was it dunking it to try to make it easier to 

pluck?  The hawk definitely had a methodical plan to its behavior and 

really acted like this was not the first time that it had performed this 

maneuver!  Seeing that was the highlight my day, but I’d really like to 

know what I witnessed!

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