Dennis, could they possibly be litter-mates who continue to hang out together and hunt cooperatively? A quick perusal of Bent's account doesn't show anything similar, but has behavior like this been reported in the literature?

Burt Guttman guttmanb at evergreen.edu
The Evergreen State College
Olympia, WA 98505 360-456-8447
Home: 7334 Holmes Island Road S.E., Olympia 98503


> -----Original Message-----
> From: tweeters-bounces at mailman1.u.washington.edu
> [mailto:tweeters-bounces at mailman1.u.washington.edu]On Behalf Of Dennis
> Paulson
> Sent: Saturday, October 23, 2004 10:25 AM
> To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
> Subject: [Tweeters] Sharp-shin invasion
>
>
> Hello, tweeters.
>
> I'm sitting here looking out my back window into the Thornton Creek
> ravine, and there are three adult female Sharp-shinned Hawks in the
> leafless maples, within about 20 feet of one another. They fly out in
> sorties, then return to the tree. I've never seen anything quite like
> this in a dozen years of watching the sharp-shins every fall.
> A little
> while ago, they and the crows were having at it, with
> assorted flickers
> and jays thrown in. But now they are perched in the trees like a gang
> of toughs that have taken over the neighborhood. They really behave
> like a group, as when one flies out it will return within a minute or
> so and perch right near the others.
>
> Dennis
>
> Dennis Paulson & Netta Smith
> 1724 NE 98 St.
> Seattle, WA 98115
> 206-528-1382
>
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