When I was renting some property for my sheep. There was a 100 year old barn
that housed a nesting pair of Barn Owls. The property owner not knowing any
better release a handful of pen raised pheasants, well the game birds
disappeared in a few weeks. I figured it was redtails and coyotes that had
dined on the poor pheasant. A few months later after the owls had fledged I
went up to the loft to see the nest and there was a very dried out but whole
hen pheasant laying under the nest. This was a large bird and fat!

Again out at the property while feeding the gold fish in the cow trough, I
heard a thunk from my left, I looked over and not 15 feet away a coopers
hawk had snagged a pigeon out of midair not 20 feet off the ground, the coop
flapped hard but the weight of the pigeon was dragging the coop down. But
all of a sudden the bird found the strength and slowly gained altitude and
flew away with her lunch.

I also have seen a sharpie carry off a robin for a few feet, before having
to leave it because of interference by people, I am sure she came back to
her kill as she had at least two young to feed that year.

I also witnessed a kestrel kill and carry off a robin right in front of me
in my own yard while living in Issaquah. A kestrel also took a dazed song
sparrow off the roof a building with a single swoop and flew off like it was
but a feather.

Dawn Bailey
Eatonville, WA
mailto:dawnsdog at rainierconnect.com

If you were arrested for being kind, would there be enough evidence to
convict you?