I know everybody must be as tired of raptor food stories as I am, but here
is another one! I was just sitting down in the kitchen after my morning
walk, doing my daily bird list, when I heard a thump on the roof. Next thing
I know, I see a small cloud of snow flakes - no hold it those are pigeon
feathers- slowly sailing to the ground! Now I had the same thing happen some
years ago, wondering why it was snowing on a sunny May morning. That time a
Cooper's Hawk was plucking a Band-tailed Pigeon on my roof and it did manage
to take off with that load.
As I went out to look today, I surprised an apparent Sharp-Shinned Hawk with
its tail hanging over the gutter. Another second and I could have grabbed
it! Seems I am getting old and slow! To the cheers of a dozen or so resident
American Crows and a couple of Glaucous-Winged Gulls, the Band-Tailed Pigeon
made good its escape. It would appear it was a little bit too large for the
Sharpie to subdue and I spoiled the lunch! Now I am a bit protective of my
Band-Tailed Pigeons and I have more than a dozen on a daily basis. At the
cost of black sunflower seed. they are eating me out of house and home! I am
planning to claim them as dependents on my income tax return! I guess. I
need to give them names and get Social Security numbers....just a thought!

Good Birding!

Hans Feddern
Twin Lakes/Federal Way, WA.
thefedderns at gmail.com
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