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California Wildlife
January 7th, 2009
A couple days ago, Kristen and I pulled into a parking spot at our apartment complex. While we were walking toward our apartment, a big mess of feathers flew over a fence, going right over our heads, squawking like mad. It was a hawk, clutching something bright green in its talons, and heading quickly toward a chunk of lawn near us. The bright green object was responsible for the horrendous squawking. It was struggling hard, and apparently losing a lot of feathers, since they were floating down all around. We were staring for a moment, trying to figure out what the green object was. I didn’t believe it at first, but it turned out to be a parakeet. I was able to confirm this when the hawk dropped the bird on the ground and flew away. The parakeet was waddling around clearly hurt. We walked over to check on it and it tried to fly away, but only made it about three feet before touching back down.
I’m not sure where the hawk got a parakeet. Across the fence is another apartment complex, so it could have been snatched right off someone’s balcony. Or it might have been a wild parakeet for all I know. It was a really strange sight, though. I was disappointed that I didn’t have my camera handy.
We actually went inside to get the number for the local animal hospital. Of course I also grabbed my camera. I wasn’t sure whether we should call the animal hospital or not. Either way, by the time we went back out, the parakeet was gone, so we didn’t bother, and I didn’t get any pictures. I don’t know whether it managed to get back across the fence, to its owner perhaps, or if the hawk returned. My money’s on the hawk.
Since I didn’t get any pictures, here’s a video of a hawk flying off with a baby deer.
Hawk Picks Up A Deer And Flies Away – Click here for this week’s top video clips
January 8th, 2009 at 9:28 am
Wow, that’s a brave hawk to try and fly with at least its own body weight or more.
Also, that totally had to be someone’s pet parakeet. There aren’t any native to North America.
Well.. I take it back. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/04/0407_030407_parakeets.html
January 8th, 2009 at 11:14 pm
Yeah, they’re not actually native, but there’s a wild population of them now. Probably was someone’s pet, though, recently escaped.
January 9th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
Sadly, it probably would have been more humane to finish the bird. Also… that video… damn…
January 9th, 2009 at 1:42 pm
I figure that either the bird managed to get away, in which case he might have recovered (or his owner might have found him), or the hawk came back and finished him. Either of those scenarios seems preferable to me killing the bird.
But yeah, the video of the hawk and the deer. Crazy.
January 13th, 2009 at 9:44 am
You should get a cat…and a dog. The cat would bring you a shrieking treat at least twice daily. But you will need the dog to “finish off” the cat’s treat. Cats are mean.
Poor bird…and deer. Nature makes me sad. Starving animals make me sad too though, so it’s a lose-lose thing.
January 13th, 2009 at 10:02 am
For better or worse, nature’s just not very nice. Animals eat other animals. Or in the case of cats, play with/torture other animals.