Outside My Window

Several people have asked me why birds of prey, especially red-tailed hawks and peregrines, would choose to nest close to humans. Isn’t it unnatural? Doesn’t it make them tame? Are the ones who nest on buildings already tame?

In the case of peregrines, whom I know better than red-tails, I can tell you it never makes them tame. To them, we are still their mortal enemies. Instead, conscious or not they have made a calculation: The enemy of my enemy is my friend… and besides, there’s lots to eat.

Birds of prey know that humans can and do hurt them but they also know from personal experience that it is rare. Meanwhile, they have learned there’s an advantage in being near humans because we keep their other enemies away.

A good example is that great-horned owls, a dangerous predator of peregrines, are rarely if ever found on office buildings. Peregrines who nest on buildings have one less worry as they raise their young.

Another advantage is the food we generate. Humans create a lot of garbage and many prey species eat it. For red-tailed hawks, we indirectly provide rodents. For peregrines, our buildings house pigeons and starlings, a ready food supply.

When their nests are successful their hunch about us is reinforced. The juvenile peregrine in the picture is a case in point. She was born in downtown Pittsburgh on the Gulf Tower in April 2007. Her parents made the calculation that the territory was safe with plentiful food and they successfully raised four young birds. As you can see, she was thriving last July when her picture was taken by Matt Frederick as she perched on Roberto Capriotti’s windowsill at K&L Gates in the Oliver Building.

If these birds can put up with seeing humans every day, the rest is easy.

p.s. I wish she’d landed on my windowsill… but if she had, I would have been unable to concentrate for the rest of the day!

This awesome picture from Bill Barron and some sad news from Boston’s Fenway Park got me thinking about hawks who live near people.

Bill captured this photo of a red-tailed hawk at the moment it took off from his chimney.  Obviously the bird is comfortable where there are lots of people - a comfort level that’s a relatively new phenomenon.

Years ago people persecuted and killed hawks, believing they attacked farm animals, but since 1937 a series of laws have made this illegal.  There are still some evil-minded people who rationalize that they’re above the law and they shoot hawks, but this is rare and not often found in cities. 

Since red-tails are rather safe in cities, they now take advantage of the food in our vicinity (mice, rats, squirrels, chipmunks) and benefit from being near a top-level predator (us) who keeps the other predators at bay.

Which brings me to the Fenway Park incident on April 3rd. 

Red-tailed hawks have been hanging out at Fenway for a couple of years.  This spring a female built a nest near the press box.  She was fine with people’s presence until she laid an egg.  As soon as she became a mother her protective instincts kicked in.  “Don’t get near my nest!”

Unfortunately a middle school girl got too close during a tour and the hawk told her to back off in the only way she knew how - she swooped down and used her talons.  It was a huge misunderstanding.  The hawk didn’t realize that people couldn’t honor her nesting boundaries at a place like Fenway and the people didn’t understand that the boundaries had expanded because of the nest.  The hawk lost everything.  Her nest and egg were removed.

Now for those of who you are thinking, “Oh my, hawks really are dangerous!” I want to point out that on the entire continent of North America this is a stand-alone misunderstanding between people and a bird.  It’s not a pattern, it doesn’t happen every day and that’s why it’s news.  99% of the time hawks are smart enough not to nest near people and people are smart enough to stay clear of nesting hawks.   Everyone involved in this has learned something - and so have you.

A little bit of common sense is all we need to get by.  

Yesterday at work Cliff Curley called me around 4:00pm to say, “Come right now!  Your hawk is on the ground by the loading dock eating a rabbit!”

By the time I got there she had created quite a stir.  (I could tell it was the female because she has a much paler head than her mate.)  According to all accounts, she was perched on our roof for quite a while, staring at the hillside behind the dumpsters.  When no one was watching - and certainly not the rabbit- she flew down and pounced.  Dinner!

Surprisingly, none of us had a good camera available but Kelly Foreman snapped this picture with her small one.  In the original wider photo, the hawk and rabbit both blend into the background so well you can hardly see them.  Obviously, this is how they avoid detection - the hunter and the hunted. 

Our lady hawk has been very busy these past few days.  Not only is she eating well but she has been courting with her mate and building a nest.  Three times I’ve seen her fly past my window carrying sticks in her beak to some unknown place nearby.  I’ll love to know where that place is.  I’m sure she’ll keep it a secret as long as possible.

If you’re squeamish, close your eyes and go to another website right now.  Otherwise, read on.

Yesterday I learned about a bird incident that happened last Saturday in downtown Pittsburgh across the street from the Westin Convention Center Hotel. 

Mark Wolz, who works at the hotel, reported it to the National Aviary.  His pictures and story were so fascinating that my friends at the Aviary shared it with me. 

According to Mark, patrons of the Tonic Restaurant said the hawks were chasing and ran into the restaurant window.  By the time he saw the birds, the red-tailed hawk had killed the immature coopers hawk and was beginning to eat. 

As you can see from Mark’s picture, the red-tail was very hungry.  Even so, people could get quite close.

Normally red-tails pick up their prey and carry it to a tree to eat.  Perhaps the prey was too heavy or the red-tail decided it would be too hard to move with so many people nearby.  Instead he spread his wings and mantled over his meal.  This made him look large and fierce. 

After the red-tail finished eating, he flew to perch on a street light at 10th and Penn.  At that point another hawk dove and screeched at the red-tail. 

Mark said the attacker had his wings tucked back like a jet fighter as he dove at the red-tailed hawk.  That shape sounds like a peregrine to me and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was one of the Gulf Tower peregrines.  Peregrines defend their territory against red-tailed hawks and the Gulf Tower is right next door.

Hawks don’t usually eat other hawks so I wonder…  What led up to this?  Was the coopers hawk weak and picked out as a potential meal?  Did the red-tail merely intend to harrass the coopers but decided to take advantage of a stunned foe?  Who was the final attacking hawk?  Was it one of the Gulf Tower peregrines?

The more I watch birds, the more I’m amazed by what they do.

As I logged into my computer this morning I glanced out my office window and saw a red-tailed hawk zoom by hotly pursued by a peregrine falcon. 

Apparently the peregrines at University of Pittsburgh are beginning to feel territorial.  The peregrine won, of course.

Today at lunchtime the peregrine pair did some courtship flying, then landed at the nest area.  The pigeons ran for cover.

>>> December 21, 2007 >>>
At lunchtime I was standing on the corner of Neville and Winthrop waiting to cross the street when I saw a red-tailed hawk suddenly dip low over my head. A peregrine was attacking it!

Neither bird made a sound. This show of strength was completely understood by the red-tail. The peregrine dove again with talons out, then left for the Cathedral of Learning. The red-tail continued flying toward Central Catholic.

When I returned after lunch the peregrine was on the antenna on top of the Cathedral of Learning and the red-tail was perched on the cross on top of Central Catholic. Everyone in their rightful place.

>>> January 30, 2008 >>>
I was talking on the phone and looking out the hall window toward the Cathedral of Learning when I noticed a red-tailed hawk had just perched on the side of the Central Catholic steeple. He was having a hard time staying upright - kept ruffling his feathers and rocking - because of the wind.

Then I saw a dot come off the Cathderal of Learning and grow in size as it approached Central Catholic. I knew it was a peregrine.

Erie flew in with the wind behind him, flipped over and dove at the red-tail, even though the red-tail was still perched on the downwind side of the narrow steeple. Erie did this twice, swinging back and forth in the wind, alarming the hawk. On the third try the red-tail left the steeple with Erie in pursuit and they flew out of sight.

Totally cool! (Needless to say, I couldn’t keep up my end of the phone conversation while this was happening .)

That’s what Cliff tells me at least once a week at WQED. 

Many people at work know that I’m interested in birds and the two most interesting birds at work are the pair of red-tailed hawks who’ve claimed the territory around WQED in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh.  I am sure to hear when they’re nearby.

This pair has made themselves famous by hunting for rodents behind the dumpster (good job!), for soaring together over Central Catholic High School and mating on the parapets, for eating a rabbit - outside the third floor windows - in the tree in front of our building, and for ignoring their loudly whining youngsters who are too old to be begging from mom and dad.

And they look just plain huge when perched.  

The red-tails have generated a lot of questions over the years.  Some of the answers are…   

• They live in the city because there’s enough to eat and they aren’t harassed. 
• They eat rabbits, chipmunks, squirrels, mice, rats and pigeons (if they can catch one on the ground) among other things.  I am especially glad they eat rats.
• They won’t try to eat something that will put up a dangerous fight because they can’t afford to get hurt trying to catch dinner.  They are very, very unlikely to attack a small dog or cat.
• Because they pounce on their prey from above, red-tails like to perch on tall dead trees.  To a red-tail, light posts on the Parkway look like tall dead trees.
• Yes, they have a nest somewhere near here but only in spring.  Their nest is the babies’ bed.  The adults don’t live in the nest themselves. 
• It is actually courtship when the male brings a dead chipmunk to his mate.
• They are ignoring that loud, whining red-tailed hawk because he’s their kid.  He has to learn to hunt and if they feed him he will never learn.  He thinks begging will break their resolve. 
• If two red-tails are perched next to each other, they are either mates or parent and child.  Red-tails don’t make friends with other red-tails as a general rule.

Today the red-tails were busy, busy.  Hunting.  A cold front is coming tonight and they had to eat today because they don’t know how long the bad weather will last.  Better face the storm with a full stomach.   In winter it’s a matter of life and death.