While out doing some cold, early birding and getting a start on my 2005 list
I found myself fortunate to be in the right place at the right time (which
is what birding all about). As I was driving on the shore road out to
Dewatto from the Dewatto/Holly Road in North Mason County I came around a
bend and saw the strangest apparition in the road ahead of me.

A smallish hawk (later ID'd as a sharp-shinned hawk) appeared to be hovering
at pavement level while it stood with its wings cloaked around something
beneath it. The small hawk appeared to be levitating or carpet riding as
whatever beneath it crawled toward the roadside. Grabbing the binos I
discovered the hawk had just taken a norther flicker and was astride its
back and the flicker was face down and using its feet to crawl off the road
toward brush on the water side of the pavement. Perhaps the flicker though
if it could get to the lowhanging brush it could scrape off the monstrous
thing on its back.

The hawk rode across the road like this until they got into the grass. The
hawk then flapped and dragged the flicker back across the road to the
steeply sloping gravel shoulder another 5 yards down the road. The flicker
put up quite a struggle for about 10 minutes with the hawk fighting to keep
its prize. Flapping of flicker wings and clawing away with its otherwise
stong legs, the flicker was unable to free itself. Plaintive cries, similar
but weaker than the usual flicker alarm call, came from the flicker as the
hawk began plucking feathers from the flicker's breast.

After passing the struggling pair and getting some good pictures I turned
the car around about 20 yards further down the road (by the pigeon guillemot
nesting cliff). The hawk had finally subdued the flicker and was beginning
its noon-time meal when I slowly worked my car back to where the birds were.
After watching them from across the road for a couple more minutes the
hawk decided to drag/fly off with its meal to a less open, public area.
This whole struggle in nature had taken about 15 minutes.

When I came across this scene my first thought was to try to scare off the
hawk and hope the newly downed flicker could make its escape. But I knew
that already the flicker had to be severely injured and/or mortally wounded
and my intervention would just prolong its suffering of a long death.
Knowing that nature would not intervene for the flicker, it was not for me
to do so either.
The flicker put up a valiant struggle against a foe almost equal its size.
But strength of talon and beak won out.

Otherwise it was a great morning of birding along southern Hood Canal. The
rock sandpiper remains with a large flock of Dunlin out in Tahuya where
Rendsland creek empties into the canal by the Port of Tahuya park/picnic
area. Lots of red-necked grebes and several common loons were found along
with the usual cast of winter waterfowl and gulls.

Happy birding and watch out for those sharpies... (Photos available upon
request - contact me personally off Tweeters.)


Mary Hrudkaj
hrudkajm at hotmail.com
N. Mason County