COOPER's HAWKS

 I thought they had disappeared. But they're back. A family, or more than one family, of Cooper's Hawks. I don't think they ever left. They have a particular screech that's very distinctive. I've heard it all year. As they hunt. I guess I wasn't paying attention.

         The cats have been paying attention. Well,. more paying attention to a new cat that has been coming and going. A little too big for Hawks to grab. 

                                         Soft ears. Soft paws. Too big for hawks.   Definitely.

              Cooper's Hawks sit on the roof tops. Twizzling their heads around. Watching. Hunting for pigeons, rats, small birds. They are fast. Swift. Quiet.

               Cooper's hawks are fairly small.Yes, it's up there. Difficult to find, they tend to stand out when sitting on the neighbours rooftop. I hope they don't think I'm peering into their windows......

                               Fog in the morning doesn't seem to deter them. They're brave. They shriek when they hunt. Kind of mournful in the fog.
   
  The Hawks live 12-20 years, and seem to have made a comeback in urban areas, as well as in the forest. They make nests in pines. I've heard the eagles trying to attack their nests. The hawks scare them off. Fierce things. They have no fear.

 They are crow sized, for the most part....well, the size of a raven, I would say. Their yellow clawed feet stand out. The cats watch them. Probalby think they are big fuzzy flying toys.

                           Wingspan is from 2'4" to 2'10". Best visible from spring to October, but  they tend to come around in February I've noticed. Named after William Cooper, a scientist from New York, whose son started the Cooper Ornithological Society.
 
     Early in the 20th century these little hawks were hunted mercilessly  and shot at random. Now they are making a comeback.

  In the 1990's they were  listed as endangered, in some parts of the states.

                    They don't eat cats. Or dogs. Or slugs. Contrary to popular belief. 

                       They DO go after pigeons. I watched them  swoop on a pile of pigeons strutting about the yard. Too fast for the camera.  It was over in a second. Too fast to even believe they had  come down from the roof.

                                        

  And then they return to their perch. Quiet again. Plotting their next move.  Swooping in the sunset. I think they like to  just soar on the wind. I've see them romp with their youngsters in the sky. Chasing each other. I'd swear they were playing. Just savouring the moments in the sky. Just having fun...