Hi Tweets,

I have seen Jays and Sharpies chase each other. I was sitting on the steps handing out peanuts to the Stellar Jays, when a small male Sharp Shinned Hawk flew in and started chasing one of the Jays. They went round and round, through the bushes and all of a sudden I noticed the Jay was chasing the Sharpie. I was still feeding the Jays peanuts during all of this as the Sharpie was going after one bird the others kept getting peanuts. Then they would switch again and the Jay would be the chaser. It was very cool to watch as they were all about 20 feet from me at the most.

Dawn Bailey
Eatonville, WA
http://vulturecafe.blogspot.com
dawnsdog at rainierconnect.com


"The worlds not changed.....there's just less in it"
Terry Rossio and Ted Elliott
----- Original Message -----
From: Dianna Moore
To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
Sent: Friday, October 03, 2008 9:04 AM
Subject: [Tweeters] re: tag between crows and raptors


Hi Tweets.I have a front seat at least 3 times a week for a tag match between crows and either a Sharp-shinned Hawk or less frequently, a Cooper's Hawk .but I know that I have both hawks. The start of the action is heralded by a peculiar sort of rolling squawk from the crow (they only make that sound when a hawk is engaging them), at which point I drop what I am doing and hurry to the window, or to my chair outside to watch the action.



The hawk picks one crow at a time, there is a pause then usually one crow at a time chases the hawk. Each time the chase is signaled by the same warning sound from a crow. The crows make a normal cawing sound for cats and a mobbing takes place for the resident owl, raccoon, or the occasional Bald Eagle or Peregrine Falcon.



This past Tuesday while watching the sharpie-crow action a pair of Northern Flickers joined in, actively pursuing and being pursued by the sharpie. This combination was more intense, with the flicker just managing to elude the hawk and making its own alarm call. After the pause in the action, the flicker just couldn't leave it alone, and actively sought out the hawk. Very interesting stuff.



Dianna Moore

Ocean Shores, Wa.

dlmoor2 at coastaccess.com





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