Alan Bliven
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Ferals and Hawks
Here's something I would like to bring up and hope to get some comments and discussion going.
I take my walks in a large park here in Tucson and it's full of huge trees.
It's also full of Coopers Hawks, Harris Hawks and Ferals, all living together. In fact it's known as the nesting grounds for Harris Hawks. HH's are murder on Birmingham Roller flyers in this city.
What I want to know is, if Hawks are so superior to Pigeons, why are there soooo many Pigeons that live in this park? Funny thing is, the HH's nest in the large Pines and there are flocks of Pigeons eating and nesting just below them. If the Hawks can so easily catch a Pigeon as people believe, I would think there wouldn't be any Pigeons left living in this park.
Every once in a while I do see a chase and every time a hawk flies in where I am at the Pigeons scatter. But their numbers sure aren't decreasing any.
I have my opinion, what about yours?
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7/23/2009, 8:15 am
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Socorro
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Location: Gabriola Island,B.C.,Canada.
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Re: Ferals and Hawks
I think the heavy losses of our Birmingham Rollers may be due to the fact they fly so slow and in such a small circling pattern, and a few days after a kit of birds has suffered an attack they just don't have the smarts to get the hell down to the roof quick or fly higher to avoid the BOP.In my limited experience with ORs,I've seen this breed is pretty darn crafty at getting down quick when attacked.
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Kelly Waugh
Rum:30 Lofts
Gabriola Island,B.C.,
Canada.
Ed FORS Newsletter
islanddoves@telus.net
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7/23/2009, 3:36 pm
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Ed Mc
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Re: Ferals and Hawks
My thoughts are natural selection and the balance of nature. A Ferrell that is slow, week or does not have the instinct to avoid does not reproduce. And the reproduction cycle of a prey animal is much faster than that of a preditor.
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Ed McMoran
Riverside California
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7/23/2009, 4:16 pm
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yrsloft
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Re: Ferals and Hawks
next to my breeding coop, maybe just 25-30 feet away, on a big pine tree pair of redtails have a nest. its been there for years. but i never saw that redtail athack my pigeons. it always scare baby's just flying over, but never go after them. once it even chased a cooper hawk out.
On other hand, my friend, who lives few blocks from me said, he's always terrorized by a redtails, that fly in my dirrection.
Maybe, they are trying to be a good neighbors and didn't touch my birds? 
PS: If that's a case, i should build a nest for cooper hawk as well... 
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7/23/2009, 4:35 pm
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Highlander1
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Re: Ferals and Hawks
I think Natural Selection plays a huge part on all wild birds. Feral pigeons in a sense are wild birds. But there could be other factors at play as well. Interested in Alans observations.
Bruce.
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7/23/2009, 6:03 pm
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Alan Bliven
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Re: Ferals and Hawks
Natural selection is my opinion as well. In nature, most predators go after the very young, the old or the sick. They have a very difficult time with the prime specimens.
In Birminghams, they are easy prey because they aren't built by natural selection to avoid BOP like Ferals and FOR's are. Yes, FOR's are built by nature and man together to avoid BOP.
Crafty is a good word for it. When I get a serious attack on my FOR's the Fehrholz birds go high and wait for the threat to leave. If the threat does not leave and hangs out waiting for them to return, they will hang out individually within eye sight of the Hawk and come back one at a time and hit the trap like lightening. The Husbands will do the same but they avoid going high and just hang out down the block as individuals.
Ferals seem to use the flock technique to confuse the predator, sort of like a school of fish. The preditor can't focus in on one individual.
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7/23/2009, 8:41 pm
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