The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1905-12-14
DESTRUCTIVE HAWKS.
Thr Most ElooC;higvty Eil f.r the
Mere "Sport."

Mere "SpOrt."
Every one will admit that hawks
XIII birds. Thirty-four observers
1t is to be noted, however, that, as
in the case OF the fox, the chief evil
dence is given by gunners. Never
theloss, It is probably true that, af-
ter man. the great bird destroyer,
birds are among the greatest enemies
of birds. No other animals can pur-
sue birds through the air. No other
can follow them in their vast migra-
tions, discover them so far off,
or overtake and strike them so
quickly. We must, then, look among
rapacious birds themselves for some
of the most potent checks to bird
increase.
The bald eagle feeds mainly on
fish and has little effect on the num-
bers of other birds. The red-tailed
hawk is not now generally common.
The redshouldered hawk seldom
kills birds or poultry, but, living
largely on field mice, is believed to
be a friend to the farmer; but the
| goshawk, duck hawk, Cooper hawk
and sharp-shinned hawk are all bird
slayers. or these four the Cooper
and sharp-shinned hawks, being the
most common, are most destructive
The duck hawk kills. like the cat,
for the sake OF killing. II pursues its
| prey on the wing, rapidly overtak-
ing swift-fying ducks. Mr. c. E.
Bailey reports seeing a duck hawk
overtake and strike three teal in
succession and then fly off, leaving
tunately this hawk is rather rare in
Massachusetts.
The goshawk is here occasionally
in winter. but the Cooper hawk
| breeds here and is still common, To-
| cally II not generally. This bird,
which is sometimes known as the
| partridge hawk or chicken hawk is q
-, eoathered pirate. Swift, keen and
| daring, II Is the terror of both birds
| and poultry II is the one bird of all
| others to neutrallze the local efforts
| of the bird protectionist 1t is par
| ticularly obnoxious to the farmer,
| for, having once tasted chicken, It
continues its forays until 1t is shot
| or the chickens shut up. 1t will
sometimes kill full-grown fowls, but
| probably cannot carry them away.
| It's keen eye detects the mother bird
| sitting on the nest. At one swoop
1t snatches bird, nest, eggs and all
In It's powerful talons; or II spies
the nestlings and picks them up as
| food for It's own young Conspicuous
songsters like the brown thrasher
robin, wood thrush, rose-breasted
| grosbeak and scarlet tanager, are
swept from their perches while in
full song by this bold marauder and
| borne to its ravening brood.
Even the crafty bluejay does not
! always escape. AS one of these
hawks sweeps into q clearing and
strikes It's prey every bird song be-
| comes hushed. In a moment spar
| rows, warblers, thrushes, titmice-
| ell the loQuacious musical throng-
| find cover or crouch motionless in
| their hiding places in silent terror.
Grim death has been among them,
| and, It is long before they dare re-
sumo their activities. The sharp
| Skinned hawk IS miniature of the
| Cooper hawk, although perhaps a
| trine simmer in build. II IS widely
known as the chicken hawk, and Is
| strong and swift. II Is nearly as
| dangerous to birds rs its larger and
stronger congener. It breeds here,
| feeds Its young on birds, and VIII kill
birds as large as a jay. It is often
| mobbed by jays, but not infrequently
| strikes one of It's tormentors, when
all the rest fly off, leaving the hawk
! to finish its victim.
Probably most of the birds now
| killed by hawks in Massachusetts
are struck down by these two spe-
! cies. Sometimes in the fall these
| birds may be seen in great numbers
| migrating south, Mr.. w. 8. Perry
| estimates that he saw at least 900,
mostly sharp-shinned and Cooper
| hawks. going south on October 10,
1892. He watched them flying all
day He estimates that each bird
| birds each day, or seven hundred
each year. At that estimate the
1000 hawks which came within the
range of his vision would eat 700,-
600 birds a year, I regard these
two birds and the goshawk as the
only hawks that should be shot by
gunners, most others being a posi-
tive benefit. or 50 rare as to do little
harm.
The pigeon hawk, also a bird
hawk, is not common, and the spar
rowhawk feeds chiefly on insects.
The broad-winged hawk seldom kills
birds, and the marsh hawk feeds
mainly on mammals in most To-
Massachusetts Board OF
| Agriculture.