Red-Tailed Hawk Scare

[Madortoise]

I had a bit of a scare a few weekends ago and thought I'd share this experience w/you all. I live near the coast and there is a huge regional park not too far where it fosters wild animals/birds. I've never seen any bird-of-prey near my house, though, until this incident.
I saw what looked like a hawk from a HomeDepot's parking lot (on a hill w/good view) where my husband and I were shopping--it was circling in the sky near my house. We rushed back home but didn't think there was any danger to our tort in an outdoor play pen covered w/wire screen. Just as we pulled into our driveway and started to unload things from the car, I witnessed that same hawk diving to catch a bird from a tree right in front of our house. It came down so close!!! it revealed itself as it flew away; red-tail feathers and claw grasping hard on the prey. The rest of the birds flew out of the tree loudly and it shook me up pretty badly. My husband didn't see it but he's been hypervigilent about her whereabouts at all time now. Ever since then, when we let Penelope roam in our backyard, we keep good eyes on her. No more siting of any hawks lately but it was very very scary. Trying to get over this sense of uneasiness (via denial and trying to rationalize that she's somehow safe) I tried to read up on the invalidity of my fear. Well, the website below says tortoise is still vulnerable until they are about 7 years old. That's at least 3 more years for Penelope....and I suppose a hawk can still try to carry her away even if the shell is mature and very hard. The hawk was very swift, there's no way Penelope would outrun that bird. I'm sure everyone here is pretty attuned to such info but thought I'd share this website below for further reading in case you're interested.

http://www.gophertortoisecouncil.org/about.php

 

[tortoisenerd]

Scary! I'd think it's more of a size of the tort vs. the bird thing rather than age. That's just my opinion though.

Even though I never see big birds out, I freak about leaving Trevor out. We just put him on the patio in a RUbbermaid (uncovered), so we stay within sight.

 

[lgdpt]

Wow! That is something.....I would be nervous with a Red tailed Hawk...They are BIG. We have a falcon that hangs out around our yard. But hes too small to carry away any of our torts...Hes only interested in the sparrows.

 

[Itort]

I imagine a hawk or other raptor is a major predator on young DTs or other torts of that size. I keep my yearlings under lattice to among other things to prevent this (we have redtails, great horned owls, crows, and coopers hawks nesting all in the area).

 

[Chucky]

That's why all of my outside enclosures are covered with some type of screen or fence. We have everything you can think of around here. Well ok, no elephants

 

[Stazz]

Aww don't worry Mado. At least Penelope was safe and that you actually saw the hawk and went to check out what the story was !! Golly.
I've had a scare too - I was sitting right NEXT to Tallula on the balcony, and leaned to the side of my chair to reach in the sliding door to grab my bottle of water, and two Indian Minor birds (they are such PESTS!!!) came and flew over her and kinda nipped at her about a ruler length away from her, I screamed so loud, our neighbours came over to see if something had happened. Shows you how even if you are THERE anything can happen !!!! I now sit right on top of her basically when she's lounging outside, as she's an indoor girl. glad pen was ok though !!!!

 

[Crazy1]

Mado, It is so scary how many, many things we don't even think of can be a danger to our little shelled charges. Glad Penelope is well. Sorry you got the shock but better that little bird (sorry) than Penelope. I watched a show a few months back that showed how a crow would pick up a small DT and then drop it on a rock to crack the shell, pretty intellegent and gruesome but I guess they gotta eat too.

 

[Gulf Coast]

Thanks for sharing your story.. I am glad Penelope was safe.. I am so worried about hawks and coons. I just can't put Waldo outside.. He is in a screen room.. One way in and one way out.. lol.. Just last week when we were cleaning our Parrots cages this big hawk buzzed past our heads, searching for a meal.. What part of the Gulf Coast are you on?

 

[Madortoise]

Thank you all for listening and your support.
The website that I mentioned above is about gopher tortoise but what I have is actually gopherus agassizii, and I live in So Cal. It's beautiful here and wouldn't trade living elsewhere. I acutally like all kinds of birds and used to belong to Audubon society in the past thinking that I would someday get into bird-watching, but the tort came along. I was really scared and amused at the same time w/what that Red tailed hawk did. I am so protective of Penelope sometimes I think I'm going nuts. I can't remember when was the last time I went to go work out or enjoyed the walk at the beach b/c it conflicts with my walk-time w/her. I see perfect weather and think it's a good day for Penelope to roam around the yard under my supervision! I then follow her around w/a camera or a book in my hand. Ca1ndy, is that why your pseudonym is Crazyone?
Stace, I don't know how Indian birds look like (that sounds like an insult to Indians) but they really sound like pests.
Larry, I can't believe you deal with all those predators all around you I had to look up your profile to see where you are.
Everyone--thanks for the good wishes/advises and take care of your torts. Good night.

 

[chelonologist]

Red-tailed hawks and ferruginous hawks prey on small tortoises in the wild, but not nearly to the extent that common ravens do. I found a ravens nest near my study site recently that had two chicks in the nest and four small desert tortoise carcasses scattered about below the nest that were obviously eaten by the ravens. On the southern California coast, red-tailed hawks prey primarily on snakes and lizards in the spring, and birds and small mammals during other times of the year. They're not going to have any experience eating tortoises, so they're not going to be looking for them. A much more significant threat to your tortoise, Mado, would be a raccoon or skunk or a dog, though the wild mammals are only going to be a problem at night.

Enjoy the hawk watching - they're cool animals, too!

 

[Stace]

Here is a pic on a site of an Indian Minor....
http://k43.pbase.com/o3/90/28990/1/87926512.1r7pVShz.CheekyIndianMinor.jpg

I swear they are way worse than Starlings. And they look like dummies as they walk around with their mouths open haha.
I've never seen a red tailed hawk before, just googled it, they're scary!

 

[Gulf Coast]

Oh Stace!!!! I have wanted one of those birds for over 20 years!!! If not longer... Either a Indian mynah, Greater Hill Mynah or a Java.. I wish now I had bought one years ago.. but I was so worried about having a soft bill.. but now they have special foods just for them..

Here is a pic on a site of an Indian Minor....
http://k43.pbase.com/o3/90/28990/1/87926512.1r7pVShz.CheekyIndianMinor.jpg

I swear they are way worse than Starlings. And they look like dummies as they walk around with their mouths open haha.
I've never seen a red tailed hawk before, just googled it, they're scary!

 

[Madortoise]

Oh Stace, you're too funny. The bird is actually very cute; looks like a penguin with long legs.

 

[Stace]

Oh wow Janice !! You know what, you can have the bunch that live around my area..... I loooove birds, love listening to them, but they are pests in the wild LOL.
Shame, they made a nest in our camping cupboard...yes IN it !! I have NO clue how they got in....they may have learned how to open the door, not hard lol.
Indian Mynah's eat other baby birds.....there was a dead pigeon baby outside of their est, so we had to take out the nest and do a very big sterilization in there.

They are cute looking Mado lol - don't behave cutely though! I guess they're different when they're captive born

 

[Madortoise]

Oopsy I just read this again and realized that I had a mistaken ID--I keep confusing Candy and Robyn. Sorry there, Robyn the Crazy1!

Michael, what's the effective way to keep Ravens and Crows out of the yard?

 

[chelonologist]

In an urban environment like yours, crows are always going to be a nuisance. They thrive on trash and water provided by humans, and nest in trees planted in yards. Even if you eliminate the availability of trash and water in your yard, crows may still be an issue if your neighbors aren't as vigilant. Crows seem to be partcularly common near the coast in southern California, especially in Orange County.

 

[Gulf Coast]

Oh I would take them in a heartbeat... in a heartbeat!!!

Oh wow Janice !! You know what, you can have the bunch that live around my area..... I loooove birds, love listening to them, but they are pests in the wild LOL.
Shame, they made a nest in our camping cupboard...yes IN it !! I have NO clue how they got in....they may have learned how to open the door, not hard lol.
Indian Mynah's eat other baby birds.....there was a dead pigeon baby outside of their est, so we had to take out the nest and do a very big sterilization in there.

They are cute looking Mado lol - don't behave cutely though! I guess they're different when they're captive born

 

[Seiryu]

Didn't see this thread until now but I had a recent Hawk siting myself (even though I don't have a tortoise yet, I do bring my cats outside to run the yard, they love it). I didn't get pictures of that specific one but saw him hovering and diving at something in the distance. I did get some shots of this hawk or falcon (no idea what it is in the winter though)

Got some pretty bad pictures because it was through a window. But he was eating a morning dove (found a foot after he flew off). Morning doves make nests in my firewood that's alongside my garage multiple times a year.

There's a creek nearby that hawks and falcons LOVE to nest at. Which is where I imagine all the hawks I see come from, they are really big.

In the 2nd picture, the blackness under him is what's left of the dove. He was probably eating for almost 2 hours before he flew off.

 

[Itort]

What you had in the yard was female Coopers hawk. Last Monday when parking my car after work had a male snag a house sparrow right in front of me about 10' and then took it into neighbors maple for dinner. Thankfully my little guys have screentops.