>This morning walking along the top of our hill I heard some crows making
>their short rattling type calls. Three birds flew into sight, low,
>looped and one (an accipitor type) flew into a tree. The other two,
>indeed crows flew off. It didn't occur to me until after all this
>happened, but the calls the crows were making were very short abrupt
>rattling calls in series. About 4-5 to a series. This then called to
>mind the entries from the other day. I guess it must have been in the
>back of my mind because I surely alerted to it as soon as I heard it. Oh
>yes, the accipitor was a Cooper's Hawk. It flew to another tree where I
>could scope it for i.d.
>
>Brian H. Bell

Crows in my neighborhood always make the rattling call when they're
interacting with a hawk. I think it must be their predator-alarm call.
It's been completely predictable that when I hear that call, there is a
hawk around.

Dennis Paulson, Director phone 206-756-3798
Slater Museum of Natural History fax 206-756-3352
University of Puget Sound e-mail dpaulson at ups.edu
Tacoma, WA 98416
web site: http://www.ups.edu/biology/museum/museum.html