Submitted by John Braden
Hawk eating a Cactus Wren 6 feet outside my window. He knew something was up but couldn't figure out exactly where I was. I watched him for a good 5 minutes and took a bunch of stills then went to video and camera died and had to put in new batteries and he was still there ripping away! Video attachments are somewhat distorted as I was shooting thru glass with lens right up against the glass and I think it threw the autofocus out of wack
Cactus Wren in in the crotch of tree at his feet
Ripping away at Wren
Confused because he saw something make a slight movement while he was eating but he still couldn't figure it out
He looked right at me but all he could see was the lens moving between the curtains.
Straining to see what was moving
Straining to see what was moving
Back to eating I went to video and probably made too much movement and he didn't like it and flew away with the wren
At least he didn't get my quail!
Dumb Wrens don't use the brush piles I put out there for the quail out back.
I see the hawks just about every day out back on the property hunting and quail will be hatching soon now Spring is here. Brush piles give them a place to hide from the hawks and owls.
I saw a Wren out front yesterday starting a nest in the cholla... They have built a regular condo in that big Staghorn cholla by the gate. That whole center is one big complex of nests, there must be a half dozen nests in there. They take turns guarding from the two roadrunners I have here. A group go out foraging and some stay with the chicks and then they alternate. One year a Kingsnake found them and almost wiped them out.
I'm watching the cholla on the other side of gate for the doves to come back. There has been a dove nest there last 8 years and when one leaves another takes over the nest and raises her chicks. Had three families there last year.
Dumb Wrens don't use the brush piles I put out there for the quail out back.
I see the hawks just about every day out back on the property hunting and quail will be hatching soon now Spring is here. Brush piles give them a place to hide from the hawks and owls.
I saw a Wren out front yesterday starting a nest in the cholla... They have built a regular condo in that big Staghorn cholla by the gate. That whole center is one big complex of nests, there must be a half dozen nests in there. They take turns guarding from the two roadrunners I have here. A group go out foraging and some stay with the chicks and then they alternate. One year a Kingsnake found them and almost wiped them out.
I'm watching the cholla on the other side of gate for the doves to come back. There has been a dove nest there last 8 years and when one leaves another takes over the nest and raises her chicks. Had three families there last year.
Some dove chicks in this album
https://www.facebook.com/azwufman/media_set?set=a.1110373088116&type=3
https://www.facebook.com/azwufman/media_set?set=a.1110373088116&type=3