I think this is a red-tailed hawk; it's definitely a hawk, and this bird spends many hours watching my chickens from this tree on the edge of my pasture. He must know that I don't think friendly thoughts towards him, because when I walk across the pasture to see if I can get a closer shot...
The hawk (and the bald eagles that do the same thing) I consider to be part of the land tax. I do my best to deter them from taking chickens, but my measures are all about giving the chickens plenty of cover and shooing the raptors away -- usually just walking towards them will do it, even at hundreds of yards distance.
My turkeys do recognize the difference between this hawk and the eagles. This hawk the turkeys ignore, which leads the chickens to the (mistaken) belief that they're safe. With the eagles the turkeys are on high alert at all times while they're visible. Often I'll notice that an eagle is around by all of the turkey heads under every bit of cover looking up. They especially like hiding under my flatbed trailer.
I am surprised to find turkeys, in this instance, smarter than chickens.
ReplyDeleteI did not think there was anything dumber than a turkey.