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When animals attack! In Bubbler's backyard ...

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by Bubbler, Nov 14, 2006.

  1. Bubbler

    Bubbler Well-Known Member

    I was making my kids lunch today and I noticed a huge bird on my backyard fence. Couldn't tell whether it was an eagle or a hawk, either way it was weird, because I live smack dab in the middle of the city. I'm pretty sure it's a hawk.

    Anyway, the neighborhood animals apparently weren't taking a liking to our visitor, notably the squirrels who live in the huge trees on the north side of my property.

    I watched about five of them come down from the tree nearest to my fence, tails erect in a threatening pose. I saw a few more on my detached garage -- reserves in case the first wave got taken out. There's a little bit of shrubbery in the alley behind my fence and I noticed it was shaking with activity. Across the alley in my neighbor's yards, squirrels were gathering for battle. A blue jay joined them, cackling at the hawk from a safe distance. At one point, I counted 12 squirrels ready to defend their home and there were more that were out of my line of sight.

    About three squirrels ran down my fence (and I think a few more on the other side), approaching the hawk gingerly. They got within a fence row of the hawk and proceeded slowly.

    Meanwhile, this hawk just sits there, cleaning its feathers. It's whole air was one of, "What the hell are you little fuckers going to do? I'm a fucking hawk!"

    Sure enough, two squirrels get into its personal space. It cawed, raised its feathers threateningly, and showed off its talons. Squirrels ran down the side of my fence, exposed for the bitches they were.

    Another wave came in, same result. Squirrels get wise -- cut losses, retreat to the trees.

    The hawk is still there, sitting on my back gate like it owns the place. What a bad ass. I'd go shoo it away, but I don't need talon scars when I have my opening game tonight.
     
  2. Hawks are very cool.
    Consider yourself fortunate it has come to call.
     
  3. Mystery_Meat

    Mystery_Meat Guest

    Unless it's Jon Koncak. Then you'll have to pay that sumbitch forever and you'll never get rid of him.
     
  4. Ace

    Ace Well-Known Member

    Agreed. I would rather gaze at a hawk than Barbara Walters cleavage any day.
     
  5. Platyrhynchos

    Platyrhynchos Active Member

    The squirrels were probably pretty safe, and didn't even realize it. They are a bit much for a hawk to handle.
    Hawks tend to go for mice and snakes and small things like that.
    Had it been an owl or a falcon, though ...
     
  6. joe

    joe Active Member

    I lived smack in the middle of Vancouver, WA, and watched a hawk sitting on my back fence eviscerate a bird. That was cool.
     
  7. Bubbler

    Bubbler Well-Known Member

    See ... it could be a falcon. But I've always thought falcons congregrated in high places? I suck when it comes to differentiating hawks, falcons and anything but bald eagles.
     
  8. Ace

    Ace Well-Known Member

    Hawks are a lot more common than falcons, methinks.
     
  9. Mystery_Meat

    Mystery_Meat Guest

    Maybe it was a thrasher?
     
  10. KYSportsWriter

    KYSportsWriter Well-Known Member

    My high school's mascot is a hawk, but there are no hawks around and the logo looks more like an eagle than anything.
     
  11. The Big Ragu

    The Big Ragu Moderator Staff Member

    I was walking home at about 3 a.m. about two weeks ago, after working late. I'm in a big city, too, but I was walking through two neighborhoods that are very quiet at that time, even though they are pretty populated. There's a big rat problem, because I live on the water. I was basically walking along the water to get home. So I don't think anything anymore of seeing rats the size of watermelons scurrying in the dark.

    But as you cross into my neighborhood, on a stretch that conceals a major roadway, there is a dog park. Walking along the sidewalk next to the park, I saw a raccoon that must have weighed 200 lbs. I am not exaggerating its weight. If anything, it might have been 250 lbs. The thing was like a small bear, walking along, very slowly on all fours. As you get up the street from this park, only about 1,000 yards, there is some very expensive housing and it is a very citylike environment. So this slowly walking raccoon that was the size of a Yugo, was the most incongruous thing I had ever seen. I am still trying to figure out where he hides himself during daylight hours, because he was huge. He just has no place where he was. It totally freaked me out. I crossed the street to try to get out of his way, but it still wasn't far enough away from him for my comfort. He was just staring at me, eyeballing me the whole way as I walked past him and tried to look nonthreatening. I'm still trying to figure it all out.
     
  12. Bubbler

    Bubbler Well-Known Member

    C.H.U.D.S!!!!!!!
     
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