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Hunting inside the woods yesterday, I came across this little scene. A hawk, no doubt a red tail, nailed either a hairy or a downy woodpecker, and then plucked it clean on the log. Feather identification made species identification a bit easier, below.
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Within a few yards were numerous woodpecker holes. The one, immediately below, is from a downy or hairy woodpecker, the large mortise-cut below that is the trademark work of a pileated woodpecker.
As for the woodpecker feathers, I have a few saved for a friend who is a fly-tier. This bird's death will neither be anonymous nor useless.
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2 comments:
More likely an accipiter, such s a cooper's hawk. They pluck extensively before eating. A plucking branch/post is a mainstay of nearby Cooper's nests.
Red-tails are likely to swallow as much as they pluck their prey.
Probably right about Coopers. All the hawks pluck birds, but red tails are more likely to hit a mammal if they can, while Coopers are pretty bird specific. Lots of red tails on this farm (very easy to see), but Coopers less common (and harder to see in forest).
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