Coopers Hawk

980-coopershawk-IMG_6145, originally uploaded by Abraham Lincoln's Photography.

This hawk was successful in bluffing a gray squirrel. The squirrels see the hawks when they land on the fence but then they seem to want to challenge the hawks by running along the top of the fence. When they get close, the hawk raises both wings, hisses and opens its tail and swings it around to protect itself from a rear or sneak attack. We have watched this happen for many generations of hawks and squirrels. This is a young or immature Coopers Hawk but already knows the squirrel is too large to try to capture and eat and it also knows the squirrels are afraid of them so they bluff and it always works.

There is another picture of this encounter on another blog of mine. If you want to see that one, click My Bird Photography

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