http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfCYSkPPido# The proof
The story:
My newspaper column last Saturday dealt with hawks visiting feeders. I mentioned the ever-present Accipiters that hunt birds attracted to seeds and suet, but the main thrust was raptors coming to eat suet and meat scraps. I noted that Red-shouldered Hawks are especially prone to this behavior. A reader from Southbury sent me the following:
Last spring a mating pair of red shouldered hawks showed up at our bird feeder – I purchased some beef liver and started putting it out for them. The male got so brave that he would swoop down as I was placing the liver on a rock just outside of our deck. Being very interested in animal behavior, I decided to put on an elbow length welders glove that I use to put wood into our wood stove, placed the liver on top of my fingers held out flat, elevated my hand and offered it to the male hawk. Sure enough he swooped down and took the offered meat barely touching my glove. I continued daily feedings which he then shared, albeit unwillingly, with his mate and subsequently with the three hawks that they hatched. He would come and take a piece of flesh for each every afternoon. After the young finally matured, they went away and I rarely saw any of them during the summer. Yesterday the mating pair showed up again and the male again took an offered beef kidney piece. The first piece his mate took away from him so he came back and took another offered piece for himself. He was back again this morning. I can’t tell you how thrilling it is to have such a beautiful creature eat out of your hand!! We have taken videos of the feedings which aren’t very good because it is so hard to focus on him as he zooms in, but if you are interested, I can forward them to you. By the way, the male is the only one that will come to me – no matter how hungry the female or the chicks were, they would not approach me; however, if I left a piece of flesh after showing the female what I was doing, she would eventually go to it.
