Bad Neighbors - Red-tailed Hawk Attack

Crows make lousy neighbors. They throw wild parties in the middle of the day and make ungodly rackets. They harass everyone else in the 'hood and steal from them every chance they get. We are fortunate that we have great neighbors, though we do have crows. Some of our neighbors hate the crows with passion. They have wished them ill, too. If one is not a morning person, crows in residence suck. They start screaming and yelling and fighting at first light and keep it up until dark.  This one is making the life of a Red-tailed hawk miserable. Don't adjust your television set. The photos are soft due to the distance. The Crows are such agile fliers that they don't hesitate to take on the biggest guys out there, either. They seem to know that they can escape if counter attacked. They're mid-air acrobatics can be stunning.    

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This is a crow fighting with a raven for food. The raven has a Red squirrel. These shots were also taken at a long distance.

Now matter how rude they are, nor how annoying and disruptive to the ambiance of the 'hood, it is nonetheless, illegal to shoot or otherwise harm crows. They are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. Some times, ya just got to put up with lousy neighbors.

  "Swing low, sweet chariot,
"I'm comin' fo' to carry you home!"

When I found this crow on the ground, I thought immediately of the dreaded West Nile Virus. Crows are the most prevalent carriers. The link underlined above has a phone number for whom to contact if you find a crow or other bird that has died without explanation. When I picked the crow up (I was wearing gloves, but not my bathrobe), I saw right away that it had been shot. Under its wing was a bullet hole. Is was not stiff or buggy, so I suspected it had been shot in the air then plummeted unceremoniously through the trees to its death. It seemed a tragic ending for the magnificent flyer that irritated its neighbor just one too many times. American crows are the birds most susceptible to West Nile Virus. WNV causes neurolgical symptoms and encephalitis. It can be transmitted to humans from the birds by mosquitos, but NOT from the birds directly. Holster your weapon, please.

Click on this link for More Crow Stuff - good reading!