During a native plant walk in our backyard, Patty Hatcher noticed mockingbird fledglings in the indigo bush with a parent scolding us from the chimney. Then she pointed out a red-tailed hawk perched at the top of a neighbor's tall pine tree. She thought she saw babies as well but without binoculars wasn't sure. The next day I set the tripod up just as the hawk appeared on top. Seconds later the mockingbirds nesting across the street were attacking the hawk. Over several minutes two or three of them took turns while the hawk never flinched, as calm as the eagle on the US seal.
They gave up the attack after 5 minutes and continued their scolding in the distance. The hawk continued to survey the territory, looking regal, then several minutes later it suddenly launched and flew away. You can see all the action on this Youtube link.
I had seen a hawk fly about 30 feet overhead the week prior. It was clutching a snake that would have been nearly 2 feet long. I hadn't seen where it had landed but I suspect it was from the same tree. If there is a nest in the tree, it is well hidden. According to Audubon* they nest "usually in a tree, up to 120' above ground; nest tree often taller than surrounding trees." This is the tallest tree in the neighborhood with dense foliage.
Red-tailed hawks forage on rabbits, squirrels, snakes, and other small animals. We learned more when our young neighbor, Vivian, found a number of dead animals on the pine needles at the base of the tree and sent the picture above. Her mom then went above the call of duty and put them in a plastic bag for me so I could examine them.
By this time they were fully "ripe" and loaded with maggots. All six mammals were rodents, possibly voles. The baby bird has a beak that looks like a mockingbird, possibly one more reason why the attacks were so persistent. It may have been a fledgling on the ground.
The mystery now is what were these apparent victims doing on the ground? Aside from a few possible little pecks on the abdomen of the bird, the bodies were intact. According to Audubon*
"Female remains with young most of the time during first few weeks. Male brings most food, and female tears it into small pieces to feed to the young. After about 4-5 weeks, food is dropped in nest, and young feed on it themselves. Young leave the nest about 6-7 weeks after hatching, but not capable of strong flight for another 2 weeks or more. Fledglings may remain with parents for several more weeks."
Lisa Berger suggests that the parents may have been overfeeding them and the chicks responded like a strong willed toddler pushing food off the plate. Another possibility is that a neighborhood cat is storing its treasures under the tree after its family failed to appreciate its gifts. I am open to any other suggestions from our more learned "bird brains."
* Audubon
