Yesterday I spotted a Sharp-Shinned Hawk in the filbert tree in my back
yard; I was "pointed" to it by a gang of a dozen or so crows sitting around
muttering. But they were just sitting, not mobbing.

Then the Sharpie tried to take wing and the crows went berserk, flapping
around and cawing, and the poor hawk dashed back to the filbert again.

I spent about twenty minutes watching; the sharpie tried to get away three
times and was driven back to the tree each time (and then I had an
appointment and couldn't watch the denoument).

Is this common behavior? The crows didn't seem to want to drive the hawk
away, they just wanted to keep an eye on it. Maybe if it had been a larger
bird, a large Cooper's or a red-tail, maybe (never had a red-tail in my
yard, however) they'd have been more aggressive?

Anyway, the Sharpie is new for this year, so I better tell Ed about it.
That's 19 for me so far; I'm hoping to beat 35 this year.

-Josh