This morning in my wanderings, I observed several birds of prey and a very large crow, being harassed by blackbirds. And for good reason! They are all trying to feed their ravenous nestlings, sometimes with the adults or nestlings of other species!



The owner of a new wetland in my area took me around on his golf cart and proudly showed me around today. We struck out on the Wood Ducks and their babies, but were treated to the carryings-on of a very upset Red-tailed Hawk trying to defend his territory from us, his intruders. He never stopped screaming and flying around us, and my friend said that yesterday he had almost attacked him. He was close enough that he could have grabbed him! The hawk, in turn, is also harassed by the smaller birds defending their own territories.

Red-tailed Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

American Crow

It’s hard to tell what kind of bird this crow has captured, but from the sound of all the other birds in the area carrying on, it was obvious that they could be next, and they were sounding the alarm. There’s something incongruous about a bird eating a bird, almost cannibalistic, but that’s how they were created and birds of prey need to eat too. Officially, a crow is not really considered a bird of prey, but no one told him that!