I was in the backyard filling the feeders the other day when the neighborhood crows went berserk. I’ve never heard them shriek and carry on that loudly before. Out the corner of my eye I spotted a Red-tailed Hawk coasting into one of the oak trees in a neighbor’s yard. The crows were in hot pursuit.
What was interesting to me is that the songbirds continued to visit the feeders. When a Sharp-shinned hawk or Cooper’s Hawk is in the area they immediately scatter and scold until the danger has passed.
But this hunter is much too large to waste his time trying to catch a songbird. That’s like grabbing a cracker from a buffet and calling it a day.
The squirrels, on the other hand, immediately made themselves scarce.
The crows squawked and carried on for about 10 more minutes, but eventually they gave up (or got bored) and let the hawk scout in peace.