Subject: [Tweeters] Tag you are it! With a question.
Date: Oct 3 08:08:46 2008
From: Rolan Nelson - rnbuffle at yahoo.com


Melissa,
?
?
It's actually anything but a game, it's serious business for the crow and an annoyance to the raptor.? Raptors represent a threat to crows and other songbirds since the will often consume them or their nestlings.? Acciptors like the Sharp shinned Hawk and the Coopers Hawk feed almost entirely on other birds.? Crows are smart and have excellent memories, and they often engage in a practice called mobbing, where a group of them will harrass a raptor to get it to leave the area.? This one was just brave enough to do it on his own.? Crows are extremely agile and rarely get caught bt the raptor they are harrassing.
?
-Rolan

Rolan Nelson
Fircrest, WA
rnbuffle at yahoo.com

--- On Fri, 10/3/08, Melissa McKenzie <bmsh.mckenzie at gte.net> wrote:

From: Melissa McKenzie <bmsh.mckenzie at gte.net>
Subject: [Tweeters] Tag you are it! With a question.
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
Date: Friday, October 3, 2008, 7:56 AM

While walking my kids home from school yesterday afternoon I noticed from a
distance what looked to be a crow bombarding something in the top of a tree.
As we got closer it became apparent that the something was a sharp shinned
hawk. What I realized was happening was not just the crow going after the
hawk but what appeared to be a game. The hawk would fly from a tree toward
the crow who would take off after the hawk, after one mid air confrontation
they would both go to separate trees. Next it was the crows turn to leave
his tree to be chased by the hawk.

We stopped to watch and this activity went on for close to five minutes. I
have seen this type of behavior before a few years ago with a crow and a red
tail hawk except that time both birds were in one tree and one would take
off toward another tree and be chased by the second. They also 'took
turns'
chasing and being chased.

I was wondering if this was a common behavior and what might be behind the
actions. Is it training, and if so for which bird the crow or the hawk? Or
was it just a game?

Thank you for any thoughts.

Melissa McKenzie

Melissa McKenzie
bmsh.mckenzie at gte.net
Kenmore By The Lake


_______________________________________________
Tweeters mailing list
Tweeters at u.washington.edu
http://mailman2.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters