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Sharp-shinned Hawk

Dave Townsend
14 years ago

I saw a sharp-shinned hawk in my garden for the first time on Monday. It was pretty neat but they seem to enjoy hanging out at bird feeders, and not for the seed.

Anyone else seen one in your garden?

{{gwi:1293586}}

Comments (6)

  • brandon7 TN_zone7
    14 years ago

    I see lots of raptors flying over my farm, but I usually have no idea what most of them are (especially the exact species). Lately I've been considering ways to attract more of them in hopes of cutting down on the moles/voles/field mice problem. I still haven't determined if it would even significantly help the rodent problem. I attended a local meeting of the Knoxville Ornithological Society, in hopes they could provide more info. I met lots of really nice people, and some of them seemed really interested in what I was asking, but I didn't get a lot of answers. I guess I will keep my eyes and ears open for more information and maybe one day come up with a solution.

  • conniemcghee
    14 years ago

    I don't know if any of the birds of prey I've seen are this hawk, but we have quite an assortment of very big birds around here. Last week there was an owl on our chimney. :) He was hooting and it sounded for all the world like he was IN the house! Very cool. Better than TV.

    The down side of all the big birds of prey is, we have been finding pieces/parts of small animals in our (fenced) yard. I think they must take them up in a tree and eat them. Our neighbor found a rabbit leg. :(

  • tn_veggie_gardner
    14 years ago

    Sweet

  • Dave Townsend
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Brandon,

    I know the solution you need cats! Lots and lots of cats (fixed of course) to roam about and bring you little mole sand voles. There's a stray (I think someone takes care of him somewhere) nearby that does that for us.

    Connie,

    The owl would be cool to see! Did you see the snowy owl last year here in Spring Hill? I took the girls to see it but just couldn't get close enough to get a good look. Several people sent me really good photos though.

    Steve,

    I thought so!

  • brandon7 TN_zone7
    14 years ago

    There are three things I worry about with cats (all of which may be at least partially unfounded). One is that the cat would kill a lot of birds. I hear people talking about this a lot, but am unsure exactly how much of a problem it would be.

    Another is that the cat might not really do the job. I've heard that some cats are good at getting rid of rodents and others just have no interest. I'd hate to have one make friends with my voles.

    The last is that the cat would damage things itself. I know other gardens have cats that don't seem to do much damage, but I've seen cats dig up plants, heard about cats killing grass and plants with urine, and seen them leave poop surprises in my flower beds. It's not a good feeling when you realize the dirt clod you just broke up was a little more than dirt.

  • Dave Townsend
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Brandon,

    I've heard of several nurseries using them as a natural pest deterrent. The cats here haven't gotten a bird yet (to my knowledge) - too many mice, voles and moles in the wild areas nearby. I even had the neighbors cat bring me a rabbit once - or half of one...guess she wanted to share.

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