Missouri Master Naturalists- Springfield Plateau Chapter

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Hawk and Squirrel

After years of having squirrels chew the siding of our house - Hey guys, there is solid concrete under that shake shingle! - empty the bird feeder and eat the corn in the squirrel feeder only when desperate, I didn't think I could have much sympathy for a bushy-tail.

Bob Ranney sent me this youtube video, showing the pursuit of a hawk for a squirrel.  Although they aren't seen in the same frame and it probably is a composite, I think you will find it interesting to watch.  In the end, I felt a little sorry for the hungry hawk.

On the other hand, the hawks do well in Bull Creek valley.  We accidentally decapitated a wood rat during the charity timber harvest recently.  It had the misfortune of creating a home in a large hollow log on the ground where we were cutting and splitting firewood.  It had stuffed the log with acorns and some wood shavings for a bed.  If you are squeamish or getting ready to eat, skip the pictures.

Home Sweet Home
OUCH!  But a cure for a headache.


We staked the body out in the field with a game camera to see who would come by.  The first week during the single digit temperatures there was no movement but the next week it got quite busy.  First a coyote came by but apparently didn't tear it loose.  The following morning, crows came in for a few minutes before a red-shouldered hawk took possession.  You can see it giving the crows the stink eye.

Don't even think about it!
Still frozen?
I did feel a little bad about the wood rat.  Unlike his relatives that eat the wiring in our barn, chewed the gas line on my tractor costing $500+, and gnawed their way into the house, this one was trying to be a good citizen a mile away in the woods - who knew they lived in the woods any more - when it heard a loud roar..... and then nothing.