Birds of Prey at the Feeder

A part of the circle of life

Although it's wonderful to watch the songbirds at your feeder eating, playing and enjoying life, they occasionally may be supper for the also-resident birds of prey. Birds of prey, or raptors, include any bird that preys on small birds and mammals. These mostly include birds like eagles, hawks, falcons, owls, kestrels and buzzards. These birds are primarily hunters and have excellent sight and speed. They kill with their talons, or sharp claws. Occasionally, a bird of prey will target the smaller birds around your feeder and it can be quite upsetting for a birdwatcher to experience.

Unfortunately, there's not a lot you can do about raptors targeting your feeder. Most raptors and migratory birds are under government protection, so it's illegal to hurt or kill them. It's also illegal to disturb a raptor nest or influence the birds in any way. In some places, it's even illegal to have a feather from a raptor in your possession.

Many people call a raptor center to find out how they can get rid of these birds, but to be honest, you really can't do much. Between 60 and 80 percent of raptors don't survive their first year, and even if they do survive to adulthood, life is hard and food is scarce; raptors that prey on small mammals only get the animal 20 percent of the time. This rate drops for raptors that prey on birds - birds are extremely hard to catch and birds of prey are only successful around 8 percent of the time. If you see a raptor in your yard, consider yourself lucky to witness a part of the circle of life. These are magnificent birds that rarely come close to human dwellings.

Raptors in your area may include:

• Cooper's hawks
• Sharp-shinned hawks
• American kestrels
• Red-tailed hawks
• Great horned owls
• Barn owls
• White-tailed hawks

While you can't set traps or harm raptors in any way, there are some methods you can use to keep them away from your yard, if in fact you think you have a raptor problem. Remember, a lot of bird deaths are actually the fault of domestic and feral cats. If you haven't actually seen a bird of prey catching birds at your feeder, watch the feeder for a few days to see if any cats are prowling around it. If you see a cat, that's most likely your bird-killer.

However, you can try these tips if you suspect a raptor at the feeder:

• Try stringing wire mesh around your feeder or buying a feeder that's enclosed with mesh. This will allow smaller birds to get in and out but keep out bigger birds of prey and nuisance birds like grackles and jays. Be careful, though - sometimes smaller raptors like the sharp-shinned hawk can get through mesh.
• Plant or hang feeders close to shrubs that songbirds can fly into if a raptor starts circling overhead. Make sure, though, that the plants don't grow too close to the ground, providing a hiding place for cats and other feeder pests.
• If worst comes to worst and none of these tips work, try taking the feeder down for a while. The songbirds will scatter to find other sources of food and the raptors will be forced to find other hunting grounds. Keep the feeders down for up to two weeks and then try hanging them again. The birds will find the feeders, but if the raptor returns, then you might want to consider leaving the feeders down for a longer period of time, or calling your local raptor center for more information.