Raptor Question-can anyone offer input?

[timg...@mediacombb.net]

Hello All,

On the morning of August 9 in Ames, I witnessed what appeared to be a young Cooper's hawk swoop down and capture what I assumed was a rodent or a bird. Apparently, the bird was unusually accustomed to people, and I was able to get fairly close. 

I realized that this hawk was actually "catching" a piece of wood that was laying on the ground. The Coopers' hawk then hopped to another nearby piece of wood and repeated the process. This activity went on for several minutes until the raptor seemed to tire of the act and flew to the top of a light pole.

So-I have never witnessed this type of behavior before. Could it be that this Coopers hawk was engaged in a type of practice for hunting?

Any thoughts? Have any of you witnessed this type of behavior?

Yours truly,

Tim Garner

Ames, IA. 

[Eric Ollie]

Tim,

My guess is that it was probably a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk, which can easily be confused with a Cooper's Hawk due to the fact that they don't yet have any red in their tails. It's parents probably just left it to fend for itself and it is learning (the hard, hungry way) how to hunt.

Juvie Red-taileds have yet to learn that humans are a big threat so they seem very tame and you can get relatively close to them. 

Most juvenile hawks do not make it to adulthood. 

Eric Ollie 

Ames 

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[timg...@mediacombb.net]

Hi Eric,

Thanks so much! Your expertise in these matters is remarkable. You have enabled me to understand this avian behavior and put it into context.

Again, thank you!

Yours,
Tim

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From: "Eric Ollie" <upha...@gmail.com>
To: "Tim Garner" <timg...@mediacombb.net>
Cc: "IA-BIRD" <ia-...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Sunday, August 10, 2025 9:52:24 AM
Subject: Re: [ia-bird] Raptor Question-can anyone offer input?

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ia-bird/CABD_q6wXVPz%2B0N1PxaUZe6ty8ZJvWSVH7h4EXgt2fBLuWCH%3D-Q%40mail.gmail.com.