Red-tailed hawks - raiding rodent nests?

Factual Questions
1

For the past week or so, we have had a red-tailed hawk that has been spending an inordinate amount of time in our backyard. The yard is a bit over an acre, all grass, surrounded by dense brush for 15-30 feet or so, then woods. The woods go back for 3/4 mile or more, and are flooded/swampy near my yard. The brush is “held back” by a 4’ high wire cow fence (6" x 6" holes in the fencing).

All summer, we have had a preponderance of woodchucks and rabbits. Two woodchuck families with three kids each (opposite sides of the yard), and it looks like four or five rabbit families. I am not surprised we have raptors visiting, it must look like a buffet from the air. The past week, no rodents. Whether they’re hiding or gone, I don’t know.

The hawk has been sitting in a dead tree overhanging the yard for the past week. Nothing phases it. I walked directly underneath it, and it just looked down with a “yeah?” look. Yesterday, he/she was hopping around in the grass in a back corner, I thought she got herself a snake the way she was moving, but she flew away empty-taloned after five or so minutes.

This is also the largest hawk I’ve ever seen, and we’ve had plenty over the years. She’s about 4-6 inches taller and much more broad around the chest than I’ve ever seen. Her markings are classic red-tailed hawk, though. I’m confident that’s what she is.

This morning I go to let the dog out, and the hawk was back. Again in the back right corner, mulling around in the grass. I went closer to her to scare her away so the dog wouldn’t get herself into trouble. The hawk clearly had some sort of rodent in her grasp, which looked slightly larger than a chipmunk (but may have been a baby woodchuck). Instead of flying away, she limped through the fence and into the brush. I have seen her fly away into the woods many times before (once with a baby woodchuck, chased by one of the mom woodchucks - a very sad day at the KCB household). I let the dog out and just kept her away from the area the hawk was in.

This afternoon, I again go out, and the hawk is coming out of the brush in the same general area as before, again with a small rodent in her talons. It’s been 7 hours, I doubt she sat there all day holding a meal and hiding. As I approached, she walked through the fence and flew into the woods, holding her catch.

Herein lies the question - will a hawk raid a rodent’s nest? I know there are rabbit warrens in the brush where the hawk went in, and I’m sure there could be a woodchuck or other rodent in there as well. Would the hawk, instead of an air attack, ground-pound into a rodent’s den to grab a meal? I doubt she didn’t eat this morning’s catch, the way she came out of the brush made me thing she found the meal there. The bird is strutting through dense, thorn-laden brush - I’ve never heard of such a thing. Is this normal behavior, or do I have a new generation of super hawks taking up residence?

2

Hawks will learn a hunting method by experience. We had a local coopers hawk checking under the eves of houses for birds nests. She got very good at it. Over in asia somewhere they have eagles that have learned to throw goats off of cliffs.

3

Raptors are often opportunistic. While Red-tails ordinarily pounce from the air, I would not be at all surprised to see one going after prey on foot if it couldn’t approach from above.

4

Indeed. We have flight-impaired Red-tails and other raptors here. Some (the manned ones) may be tethered in their weathering yard, while others occupy exhibit enclosures. All though will opportunistically attack small creatures like lizards or squirrels running along the ground. Occasionally we’ll receive a raptor patient captured for treatment after being observed living flightless in some farmer’s field. Although there may be permanent trauma to a wing, some arrive at a body weight showing that they have made a successful accommodation to hunting while confined to the ground. So surely individuals can make the same accommodation while remaining flighted.

5

So I shouldn’t worry about red tails with opposable thumbs knocking at my door any time soon. That’s a relief.

Thanks for the speedy responses!

6

Don’t open the door if one of these guys shows up, however.

7

I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that rabbits are not rodents - they’re lagomorphs.

Glad you’re enjoying watching your bird friend. You have some awesome answerers here, I am very much a fangirl when it comes to Colibri and CannyDan.

8

Bit off topic but just this morning I saw a red tailed hawk swoop down and pick a finch off the mesh feeder.

The hawk came charging in at high speed and at the last second rolled on his side and grabbed the finch and then rolled back and kept going, all at top speed. Total pro. Gave another level of meaning to the words “bird feeder.”

9

Call that the “secondary level” bird feeder. Next level was the guy who hung his bird feeder on a limb next to the lake. Cooper’s Hawk hit a dove on the feeder, big puff of feathers and bird tumbled downward. Normally it would hit the ground, followed rapidly by the hawk. This time though it fell right into the mouth of the waiting alligator. Call that the tertiary level feeder.

Another guy watched the Red-tail nail a dove on his feeder and decided that wasn’t how nature should work, so he initiated a “rescue”. The hawk was mantling the dove (holding it down on the ground, crouching over it, performing the coup de grace) when he hit it with a brick. He brought us both birds for “treatment” – the dove, gasping its last while leaking lights and livers from multiple deep punctures, and the Red-tail with a compound fracture of the humerus. Needless to say, the gentleman was not well received.