Playmate or prey?

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Playmate or prey?

January 24, 2013 by Mike Powell

I was looking up in the sky watching a hawk soaring through the air this past weekend when I noticed that there was another bird there too, a black bird that I eventually identified as a crow. The two of them seemed to be soaring on the same updrafts, each virtually mirroring the movements of the other. My first thought was that they must be having a lot of fun, gliding along together. When I looked at my photos, though, I realized that a more serious drama probably had been taking place at high altitude.

Now, I have never had a hawk come rushing at me with talons flashing, but the crow seems to have decided that it was probably not a good idea to wait around and see what the hawk’s intentions are. The hawk began to chase the crow, it appears, and the crow took immediate evasive action. As far as I can tell, the crow got away. Here are some shots that I took of the chase. They are not very high resolution, but they help illustrate a fascinating encounter.

Since last weekend when I took these shots, I’ve done some research on the internet and learned that crows and hawks don’t get along very well and each has been known to pester the other. I’ll keep my eyes open now for any additional encounters between the two species.

Posted in Birds, Nature, Photography, Winter | Tagged birds in flight, Canon 55-250mm zoom lens, Canon Rebel XT, crow, hawk, Huntley Meadows Park | 8 Comments

8 Responses

on January 24, 2013 at 9:15 pm | Reply The Green Study

I would guess that crows like to stay at a safe distance from hawks, but close enough to get their scraps. Crows are the vultures of the city here, often picking at the dead critters they find.
on January 24, 2013 at 9:46 pm | Reply lylekrahn

Interesting drama. I would have thot it highly unlikely a crow would pester a hawk.
on January 25, 2013 at 6:28 am | Reply New Hampshire Gardener

I’m surprised the crow didn’t have a few friends with him. With a flock of crows after him the hawk probably would have been lucky to get away with all his feathers intact.
- on January 25, 2013 at 6:30 am | Reply Mike Powell
  
  From what I’ve ready, a flock of crows will mob a hawk in order to force him to leave an area. In this case, the crow seemed alone (though I saw a lot of crows later in the day).
on January 25, 2013 at 11:31 am | Reply Vicki

I really like the ones where the hawk’s talons are reaching out.. I have seen a group of crows go after a hawk, as you say above, but in your photos it certainly shows the hawk going after the lone crow.
on January 25, 2013 at 12:07 pm | Reply naturesnippets

Great shots. Proves never know what you might witness … that you wouldn’t have if you’d stayed home.
on January 27, 2013 at 5:47 pm | Reply Gone to the Birds | Two Voices, One Song

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on March 19, 2013 at 8:15 pm | Reply Video of the Day – Soaring with the Hawks | Jack T. Scully

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