January 6, 2008 - Unexpected Guest

Welcome to the Nature Notebook.

Wherever winter birds congregate at feeders unexpected guests just might show up. Some could be unusual migrants from the north woods come to sample the fare. Just as likely could be a bird that has no interest in eating seeds. Instead, this raptor looks for a feathered meal. One likely raptor is the Cooper’s Hawk, a medium-sized bird of prey with a long tail and short, rounded wings designed for pursuing birds and small mammals through the forest at dizzying speeds. You might not notice a Cooper’s Hawk until it attacks. These raptors perch high up in a tree, biding their time to ambush an unsuspecting bird. The hawk will pounce on prey as large as doves, blue-gray wings flashing in the attack. Of course, small birds are quick to head for cover at the slightest provocation and often deprive a hungry Cooper’s Hawk of a meal.

This is PPL's naturalist, Jon Beam, with the Nature Notebook for WVIA.