Red Tailed Hawks hunt in pairs, sometimes.

[Patrick McKee]

Took my new ducklings outside for their 2 week birthday. They loved it. A temp 10 x 10 pen, water and lots of stuff to muddle through. A place for me to sit.

I was sitting in the pen with them. I saw the hawk about 5 seconds after DJ saw the hawk. He peeped and they all snuggled close to me and hunkered down and I looked up. Way up. Saw the hawk.

I got up carefully and they stayed put and alert.

I turned away from the sun to look up at the hawk and that's when the shadow passed over me about 40 feet up, a second hawk, the attack hawk. Not sure why it swerved back up, probably because I stood at the right time. Was it actually going to make a try when they were only a foot from me and hunkered down? I betcha.

Anywhooo....just thought I would share the scare.

Red Tailed Hawks hunt in pairs sometimes and one is the distraction. Almost funny. Not.

 

[Welshies]

It was probably a pair of siblings or mates you saw.
The only time they hunt in pairs.

 

[Patrick McKee]

Yep. I knew that mated pairs would hunt like that, but it caught me off guard at how fast they are and I did not even think to look the other direction. What a wake up call.

 

[sourland]

I have seen red tails hunting rabbits. One (generally the female) hunts high while the other swoops down and actually hits the brush trying to flush out the rabbit. I have also seen red tails teaching their young how to hunt. Circling in the air with the young bird mirroring the parents path. Parent goes into a dive, and so does the young bird. Parent pulls up and releases a meadow vole. Young bird grabs it from the air. I've only seen this upon one occasion. I have a love/hate relationship with raptors.

 

[Welshies]

I have a love/hate relationship with raptors.

Me too. They are awesomely beautiful, I love taking pictures of them... but they are fearsome... especially to bird owners!

 

[Miss Lydia]

In spring once the red tail young leave the nest we'll have 3 usually flying around over our property.

They are gorgeous but after having one come right close to the house and kill one of my bantam hens I know they are very brave.

 

[cheezenkwackers]

I do not like hawks anywhere near my ducks but if they are I would rather they be in flight than sitting in a tree. Why? Because red-tailed hawks usually are perch hunters. My mother has volunteered at the World Bird Sanctuary for the last twenty some years and is somewhat of a raptor expert. According to her, a red-tail hunts by sitting on a low perch and waiting for something to move. Now, it is possible that the hawks were not seen until they were swooping in but probably not from 40 feet up. I have had a red tail sitting on my 6 ft privacy fence eyeing my Khakis, that scared me to death. Here is a link about red tails and how they hunt: http://www.hawkmountain.org/raptorp...awk-mountain/red-tailed-hawk/page.aspx?id=460
A Cooper’s hawk hunts while flying but still they fly pretty low. They surprise their prey by common around a corner or around a tree quickly.
Anyway, I hope this takes away a little of your fear or at least helps you know what to look for.

 

[dunnmom]

Red-tailed hawks are extremely common where I live, even right smack in the middle of the city. My hens are in a predator-proof pen 24/7 because of city ordinances, but considering how many red-tailed hawks I've seen in the trees above their pen, I figure it's probably for the best. I have seen them circling in pairs and even in 3s on occasion, and it's kind of neat to watch.

 

[LoverOfPeeps]

I mentioned before that I started farming knowing nothing, as a way of helping another... which included six pekins that free ranged from birth. One by one they've been picked off by a hawk. I had three left about two weeks ago, that refused to come off frozen pond. I woke up one morning & only saw one, mangled at that. Was able to rescue him & FINALLY pen. I couldn't fathom what could've taken two ducks from the frozen pond & done such damage to the third. The two that had died were too heavy to lift, I suppose. So two hawks had dragged them just over pond levee. This is the last remaining. (Pics from attack & after some TLC.) I never knew they did so in pairs either. But here's the proof. This alone has made me doubt if my own Welsh Harlequin will ever be able to free range.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Poor thing glad to hear he is healing.

Winter everything is much more hungry too with natural prey under ground staying warm. So it makes our birds even more susceptible to predation. Thankfully I have 3 roosters who are very good at sounding the alarm and now everyone including the geese run for cover.