Simcoe County Bird and Nature Board.
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Red-tailed Hawk Depredates American Crow Nest Posted on May 24, 2018 at 00:16:01 AM by Burke Korol
In a case of being in the right place at the right time, today I witnessed something pretty cool. Just south of Barrie's Shear Park I saw an adult Red-tailed Hawk in a fast stoop heading for the park. It pulled up just in time to land at an American Crow nest and for the next 20 minutes or so, it stayed in the nest and likely consumed all of its chicks. During this time about 10 American Crows gathered at the nest site. The crows vigourously called and desperately tried to deter the hawk, but from what I could see, the hawk was only mildly annoyed and continued to enjoy its meal. The nest was near the top of a tall Scots Pine. When finished, the hawk soared off to the south, with about half a dozen angry crows diving on it. As it left, I couldn't see the hawk well, but it was evident that its crop was quite full. I collected some of the still partly-sheathed chick feathers from the ground below the nest after the event. The nest could barely be seen from the ground so my movies and photos are not worth posting here. Survival of the fittest! Replies: