I received an alarming report from Mrs. Jackmannii yesterday concerning an event in our backyard.
Seems that a huge black menacing-looking bird was perched in a tree at the edge of the yard, eyeing our small, aged spaniel Bubba*.
Bubba has slowed down quite a bit and is not as alert as he used to be. Now if this was a turkey vulture (like the famous buzzards that return to Hinckley, Ohio each year) it should be OK since they supposedly stick to carrion and are not built for carrying off 25-pound dogs anyway. But if it was something else…
Are there predatory birds in the Midwest that might take it into their bird brains to launch an assault on Bubba? If carrion is scarce, might something like this get impatient and find the thought of a small, slow-moving spaniel tasty? Should we put extra weights on his collar, spray him with Bird-Away or take other precautions?
*Bubba’s sister was always fearful of large, moving objects overhead (birds, ceiling fans, balloons etc. Maybe her suspicions were well-founded…
Here in the Southwest, small dogs have been carried away by hawks, eagles and owls. Sadly, some newcomers, aware of the problem of coyotes, bobcats and mountain lions, fence in their little doggies, forgetting about the threat from the sky. Next thing they know, the dog is being carried away by a bird, and they just say, “Bye, bye, Fluffy.”
There may not be as many large birds of prey in the midwest, but I’d still be careful. Here some people who have a courtyard make a “roof” of chicken wire for protection from the dive bombers.
OTOH, a spaniel (Cocker?) may be large enough to be safe. How much does it weigh?
The buzzard was probably just patiently waiting for it to expire.
