Rant: My backyard went completely silent for 3 days after a Cooper's hawk moved in

I had about 15 finches and sparrows hitting my feeder every morning for months. Then last Tuesday a Cooper's hawk showed up and just sat on my fence for an hour. Every bird vanished. I mean completely gone for 3 straight days. The feeder was full and not a single bird touched it. I even saw the hawk come back the next morning around 7 AM like it was checking its watch. Finally on Friday a couple of house sparrows showed up and the rest trickled back over the weekend. Has anyone else had a hawk basically evict all your birds for days at a time?

2 comments

2 Comments

jamie7702d ago

Laughing but only because I've been there. My feeder turned into a ghost town for almost a week after a sharp-shinned hawk decided my yard was its personal drive-thru. I swear that thing was sitting on my fence at 6 AM every day just waiting for the breakfast rush. The birds finally came back but they're way more jumpy now, like they're checking for the hawk before every single seed. It's basically bird air traffic control out there now.

jordanblack2d agoTop Commenter

Bird air traffic control is the most accurate description of post-hawk feeder life I've ever heard. Mine started doing this thing where they grab one seed and rocket to the nearest bush like they're dodging sniper fire. At this point I'm half tempted to put a tiny periscope on the feeder just so they can check the skies before they eat.