Back to Ask the Naturalist	The Naturalist:
	Hawks at your Feeder

Are you having problems with a hawk at your bird feeder?

Those of us who love to attract birds to our backyards by setting up feeders cannot help but react with dismay when we discover that we have inadvertently provided a food source for birds we did not have in mind: hawks.

The hawk most commonly seen at feeders is the sharp-shinned hawk, a member of the accipiter family. All of the birds in this family - the sharp-shinned hawk, Cooper's hawk, and northern goshawk - feed on songbirds, with the sharp-shinned obtaining 95% of its diet from them. By virtue of their slender bodies, long tails, and wings that are shorter than those of most hawks, they are beautifully adapted for flying through trees.

Wishing to protect small birds from these predators is a natural reaction and there are some things that can be done. If you notice a hawk perched near your feeders, going outside to scare it off is an excellent option. If that is not immediately practical, the sound of a door or window opening may suffice to frighten it away. It is also a good idea to place your feeders near cover in the form of trees and shrubs as they do provide a place for small birds to hide.

It is important to remember that hawks are a protected species and it is illegal to harm them in any way. They are an essential element in the natural world, keeping rodent populations in check and forcing their prey to hone the characteristics they need to survive. It may also be of some comfort to know that hawks that visit feeders do not usually stay longer than two or three weeks in a given area during the winter.

A hawk in action is an amazing sight that not everyone is privileged to see. The reaction of songbirds to their presence is also fascinating. Birds at feeders sensing the presence of a hawk have been known to freeze in place for as long as 30 to 40 minutes before resuming their normal activities. So, as difficult as it may be at first, should a hawk appear near your feeding stations try to view the experience as a window on the natural world in action and remember the words of the great Yogi Berra: "You can observe a lot by just watching."