[CT Birds] Chester, 2/23 - red-tailed hawk vs. chipmunk

[Tammy Eustis]

Chester, 2/23 - Visited by a singe red-tailed hawk this morning. It sat in one of our oak trees about 30 feet from the feeders, preening and uninterested in the general activity (except for a little exasperation when the blue jays divebombed its head). Then the hawk flew off and I thought it had left, but it had just moved into the weeping cherry tree by our back door. It was unafraid of my activity, and I even took a couple of photos. Then I realized what was attracting the hawk: the chipmunk colony that lives in a stone wall in our front garden. And the chips were *very* aware of the hawk! One poked its head out through the snow and stared up in the bird's direction; anytime a smaller bird (a jay or somesuch) zoomed over, chip dove back into its hole. (This isn't normal behavior for the chipmunks - they usually scoot all over the yard without much fear.)
It was obvious that the chipmunk wanted to make a run for the feeders across the crusted snow, but that would have put it out in the open for much too long. The chip/hawk standoff lasted for about 15 minutes, with chipmunk making tentative moves across the snow, hawk readjusting its position, and chip diving back into its hole. My parents and I watched the whole thing from inside, humming the theme to National Geographic. The chipmunk was ultimately saved by a second red-tailed hawk, which flew down across the yard and into the back woods; the first one followed it without a second thought of breakfast. I'm certain this is a mated pair of red-tails - they've been present in the yard/neighborhood for a couple of weeks now. If they do decide to stick around, it will be a very long season for the chipmunks!
In other hawk news, I heard/saw a pair of red-shouldered hawks down on Cross Road (also Chester), sitting in two separate trees. The male (? smaller and very vocal) called repeatedly. I will have to keep an eye on this area, see if they plan to nest. (The red-shouldereds nested in our back woods for about 10 years; this new location is approximately 1/4 mile away. Between them, the red-tails, and the Cooper's, I'm sure it's starting to feel crowded!)
- Tammy Eustis, Chester