Fowl Trouble

[Stephen]

Today’s bird adventure had a somewhat different tone than what I’m used to. I woke up later than usual and decided not to go for a morning bird walk. Instead I got a cup of coffee and let my wife’s chickens out so that they could pick up fallen cherries under our overripe tree hoping that I wouldn’t have to bend over for quite so many myself. I was in a lawn chair under the tree with them when a bald eagle came in from who knows where at a tremendous speed! It missed a chicken no more than 15 feet from me then took a hard right and banked in for a second try, coming straight toward me! At that point I was up and running toward the eagle, not in the mood to explain to my wife (much less my kids!) what happened to one of their beloved chickens. The eagle finally saw me, and we locked eyes for a second. I guess it felt surprise, but that eagle glade sure didn’t show it. It took off in the same direction it had come, this time with a rude send-off from crows and Steller’s Jays. Whew! The whole moment lasted a few seconds, but that sure woke me up!

At this point the chickens had all scattered for cover all over the yard and into the neighbor’s. I found two huddled in tight balls and started herding them back towards the coop, and as they saw me with their comrades, the other hidden hens joined until five of six were accounted for. But the last chicken was nowhere to be found. I looked for almost two hours all through the gardens and down the hedgerows and into the neighbor’s forest patches too. Finally the kids and wife were awake and I had to do the explaining anyways. But I kid you not, just as I was finishing my explanation, out of the trail in the woods at the far side of the yard from where the main event happened, waltzed in the last chicken. I won’t tell you that got my eight year old teary-eyed, but...

Some thoughts from the event:
Bald Eagles are truly impressive. The power in that bird was pure awesomeness. I’m quite sure it was a female, as it was huge, but then again I haven’t been nearly that close to a wild eagle before. My guess is that this was the female that successfully bred this spring only a couple blocks away along Nolte Road.

Another thought: despite the Eagle’s power and sudden entrance on the scene, the chickens, which to me have none of the careful instincts of wild birds, were not easily caught. After the initial miss when the spooked chicken side-stepped the eagle’s talons, the eagle had to bank, which was an awkward maneuver in the eight feet of space under the cherry tree. That gave the chickens a great chance for escape. If I hadn’t been there, it’s possible that the eagle could have trapped one of the chickens behind a bush, but it would not have been fast food at that point. Surprise was her weapon, and even against a chicken, she was unable to successfully wield it this time. I remember reading that successful hunts for eagles rank somewhere in the 20th percentile; this event demonstrated that statistic, as this was a prime opportunity for her that turned out to be unsuccessful.

All that said, I’m curious to know if the eagle has my yard in the system now as a potential hunting ground. Oh, and I’m not allowed to let the chickens pick fallen cherries for me anymore.
Stephen

[Gary Bletsch]

Dear Steven,

Thanks for an interesting story. Good luck keeping the fowl alive. I think they can survive without cherries!

My chickens range free. They sleep in our old barn, which is a big, messy, ramshackle affair, with piles of old hay to scratch in and lots of places to roost. There are also dozens of wooden nest boxes, some of which actually get used as nests. Other times, the hens find creative spots to lay eggs, such as under a rhododendron by the house, or tucked into a corner of the goat pen.

Bald Eagles have taken a few of our birds, but coyotes are a far greater hazard here. We have a rooster that does do a good job of watching for predators. When an eagle or a Red-tailed Hawk flies over, the rooster lets out with a special warning call, and the hens run for cover. 

A year or two ago, my wife stepped outside to see an adult Bald Eagle standing ten feet from a few of my hens, which were dust-bathing. The eagle was just watching the hens, not pouncing or anything. My wife scared the eagle away, and it flew off, empty-taloned. 

Even so, the eagles fly over here almost every day. I do my best to wave my arms and yell at them, but it is always just a matter of time before one of them has a lucky strike.

We used to have a wonderful dog named Tina. Tina was half Labrador, half Rottweiler. I taught her to hate Great Blue Herons and Bald Eagles. The herons used to eat goldfish out of my trough, and the eagles were always after our fowl. Tina did a great job protecting the school and the flock.

Although I can usually keep a flock of about five to ten chickens alive for years at a time, I can't say the same for domesticated ducks. The coyotes have killed every duck I've ever raised. I think the eagles may have taken one or two of the ducks, but the coyotes are the real menace. They've also taken one or two of our small dogs.

I take solace in the words of an old farmer, who said, "There are two kinds of animals on a farm: livestock and deadstock!"

Yours truly,

Gary Bletsch

--

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Whatcom Birds" group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to whatcom-birds+unsub...@northcascadesaudubon.org.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/a/northcascadesaudubon.org/d/msgid/whatcom-birds/3EFC5C9E-82ED-40F2-B6C0-C7CB9379AD79%40gmail.com.