After the breeding season, most songbirds are very quiet except for the occasional chip or peep, so it’s very obvious when an enemy enters their territory.
This Cooper’s Hawk caused quite a commotion on a recent rainy day. Birds were shrieking and scolding and squawking for what seemed like an eternity. At first it was just some chickadees (my lone bird has found some companions!). Then several cardinals and nuthatches joined the noisy chorus. Then all the neighborhood squirrels and even more songbirds began chattering and cheaping.
The hawk was not phased by all the noise. He looked around thoughtfully for a minute or two, and then I saw his legs and neck tense. In a flash he flew toward an arborvitae shrub, and a Dark-eyed Junco shot out of it and disappeared from my line of sight with the hawk in hot pursuit.
I don’t think the hawk was successful because he would’ve grabbed his prey and skedaddled for someplace to dine in peace. Instead he flew to a tree just above my window and soon an outraged gang of crows showed up and cawed and shrieked and bullied him for nearly 15 minutes.
The smaller birds must’ve felt safer with the Crow Patrol on the case because they stopped making noise, and one by one they started returning to the feeders even though the hungry hawk and his noisy critics were less than 20 feet away.