One Mystery Solved

I neglected to report that the first pigeon we rescued, a week or so ago, did not make it. I didn't think she had a disease, she was fat and healthy-looking, no discharge from her nostrils, a clean throat. It seemed more like she'd run into something and had brain damage.

Then there was the pigeon in the chimney. Pigeons aren't stupid, they don't just run into things or fly down chimneys. I was beginning to wonder if there was a hawk around.

This a.m. I sat out in the sun in the front yard, petting the kitty. I could hear the chickens and the peafowl in the backyard raising a ruckus. Then a Sharp-shinned hawk flew down into the tree about 10 feet away from us and sat there for a long time. Even I, who have a hard time identifying birds, had no trouble with this one. It practically posed.

This is the time of year we usually get hawks coming through to wherever it is they go. Sometimes we get Cooper's Hawks too.

I think the Sharp-shinned (we used to call it a Sparrow Hawk) is after smaller birds, but it's very agile. It's not much bigger than a pigeon, but it has probably scared them into defensive maneuvers that didn't work as planned.

We had a white pigeon many years ago that went down the chimney. It was part California King, a big breed that is used for meat, and it didn't hang onto the inside of the chimney for days, it just plopped right down behind the Buck stove and we fished it out. We've also had a Scrub Jay do that, and a young Barn Owl. That was exciting!

This is good territory for raptors. For the second year, a pair of Ospreys nested along the river, and at least one pair of Turkey Vultures. The Ospreys take fish from the river. The TVs wisely nest near Hwy. 16, where there is a lot of roadkill.

When the guys start plowing the fields there will be Redtail Hawks and the Swainson's Hawks follow along behind the plow, gorging on mice and gophers. They can get pretty bold.

It's quiet outside now. The hawk must have found an early lunch.