In January we were on the ferry from Amherst Island to Kingston, Ontario and observed a Great Black-backed Gull drown a Red-breasted Merganser. In fact they were so involved in the struggle that the ferry ran over top of them. Astern they popped up with the Great Black-backed completing his task. -----Original Message----- From: Ohio birds [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Joe Faulkner Sent: Monday, August 12, 2013 11:36 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: Fwd: [Ohio-birds] Hawk drowns pigeon. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Joe Faulkner <[log in to unmask]> Date: Mon, Aug 12, 2013 at 11:34 AM Subject: Re: [Ohio-birds] Hawk drowns pigeon. To: Not Right <[log in to unmask]> "Wow-I wonder if this is learned behavior or instinctive" Sending emil reports about bird behavior is no doubt* learned*, but the general desire to communicate with other human beings is probably * instinctive* * * joeinthe woods On Sun, Aug 11, 2013 at 11:16 PM, Not Right <[log in to unmask]>wrote: > Â > Wow-I wonder if this is learned behavior or instinctive > > > > > > > > ________________________________ > From: Alan Walter <[log in to unmask]> > To: [log in to unmask] > Sent: Sunday, August 11, 2013 7:11 AM > Subject: Re: [Ohio-birds] Hawk drowns pigeon. > > > 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! > > ______________________________________________________________________ > > Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. > Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. > Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at > www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. > > You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: > http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS > Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask] > > ______________________________________________________________________ > > Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. > Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. > Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at > www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. > > You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: > http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS > Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask] > ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask] ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. Additional discussions can be found in our forums, at www.ohiobirds.org/forum/. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]