My amorous Cooper's Hawk, who a couple of months ago finally found a suitable nest site and successfully sired a delightful and confident fine young new member of the Cooper's Hawk community, has apparently bred a second time as I can see one adult bird sitting in the nest again with the other adult swooping about nearby. The young-of-the- year youth hawk was last seen taking on three crows who tried to mob it and intimidate it. They gathered on adjacent branches when the hawk was trying to get at a Downy Woodpecker's nest in a fallen tree. They got closer and closer and began a sporadic calling until the hawk flew right up in the tree they were gathering in. The crows, one by one, began crowding it and I thought their bulling would chase it off - but no! The young hawk hopped onto a brach with two of the crows and took them on in a quick bill duel. The crows flew and a remaining one watched until the hawk flew right at it and the last crow fled. The young hawk went back to pecking around the opening of the downy nest.
Just goes to show - if we build our life on a strong foundation, rewards come in multiples for both young and old alike. Thomas Maiello Angel Environmental Management, Inc. Maple Grove, MN
