Hawks are frequently spotted in yards around here. Among the varieties is the Cooper's Hawk. We've experienced a Cooper's Hawk setting up shop near our birdfeeders. This medium-sized hawk specializes in eating songbirds and is built for fast flight through the obstacle course of trees and limbs. It has adapted well to urban living.

As we were having a privacy fence built outside our bedroom window, I was standing with the landscaper planning the project. Suddenly there was big whoosh. We ducked, catching the glimpse of a speeding bird flashing by our heads. It was a hawk. We could see it was a Cooper's Hawk when it landed on a high branch in my neighbor's yard. Later when the fence was installed, I saw it again. I was stunned to see the hawk with its prey gripped in its talons, perched on our new fence that surrounded the bird feeding station we had just created. We had provided a perfect dining table for the hawk.

To give you more description of the Cooper's Hawk, it has a long, rounded tail barred at the tip with darker gray/black, broad rounded wings, and reddish bars on its under belly. Its back is dark gray or gray-brown. Adults have red eyes and a black cap. These hawks are 15-20 inches in length with a 24-35 inch wingspan. They fly with a flap-flap-glide pattern, often low to the ground before pulling up to take their prey by surprise. Males are smaller than females. At one time they were called "chicken hawks" because they preyed on poultry.

My husband and I are fascinated by hawks. We keep a log of hawk sightings as we are driving. We look for them on fence posts, electrical towers, and in tall trees. Of course it's easier to see them in winter when foliage doesn't obstruct the view. Whether we are on a trip or in the city, we record the date, location, and other circumstantial information. This log stays in the car. On long trips, we get it out and read through the history of our sightings. We don't much care if the hawk is a Red-Tailed, Cooper's, Red Shouldered or Sharp-shinned. Simply spotting the big birds thrills us.

If you see a Cooper's Hawk at your feeder, stop birdfeeding for a few days, and it will move on. Also, try positioning bird feeders near shrubs or brush piles so songbirds can seek protection from predators. Should a hawk visit your backyard, take this as a reminder about the cycles of nature: eat or be eaten - and accept the reality that the wild kingdom is in your backyard, too.