You can’t imagine anything like nature as we know it without predators.
~Dale Jamieson
I’ve been out in the yard a lot these past couple of weeks doing the spring chores of removing the dead stalks from last year’s wildflowers, adding some mulch to walkways, etc. The spring wildflowers are showing themselves as are the usual array of winter and year-round yard birds, the first frogs of the season, and the first notable insects (this month has seen the first Bumblebee and Carpenter Bee, and the first Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Zebra Swallowtail, Spring Azure, and Falcate Orange-tip). Spring wildflowers bring out the pollinators and the abundance of animal life brings out the predators.
This week I was cleaning out some debris next to the house and uncovered a pair of Brown Snakes (Storeria dekayi). The common name is descriptive (they are indeed, brown) but this is the reason I try to capitalize common names so there is less confusion about just a description of an animal versus its name.
-A pair of Brown Snakes along a runoff area near the house (click photos to enlarge)
-Close up view of a Brown Snake
Brown Snakes are very common here and throughout most of North Carolina. They are certainly one of the most frequently encountered snakes in our area and are often found in mulch beds and under leaves and logs where they search for earthworms, slugs, snails, and other invertebrates that make up most of their diet. These cute little snakes (10 – 20 inches in length) are harmless and are one of the first snakes I see every spring.
Another predator that frequents our yard is one whose presence is usually announced by motionless birds at our feeders. If I glance at the feeders and see a bird sitting perfectly still (often in odd-looking poses), I start looking in the nearby trees for the cause, and this winter it almost always has been a Cooper’s Hawk. In our area, we have two of the “bird hawks”, the Accipiters – the Cooper’s Hawk and the Sharp-shinned Hawk (“Sharpie”). They can be difficult to tell apart because the adults look almost identical save for a couple of diagnostic features that are not always easy to discern in the field. Cooper’s Hawks are the larger of the two, looking about the size of a crow. Sharp-shinned Hawks are smaller, more like the size of a Blue Jay. Of course, like most raptors, there is a size difference between males and females, with females generally being larger. This creates a close overlap sometimes between a large female Sharpie and a small male Cooper’s. Another feature that can help is shape of the base of the tail – Cooper’s tend to have a more rounded tail tip whereas Sharpies have a squared off tail. This can be a tricky one though. In this case, I think this is a male Cooper’s Hawk as it is smaller than one I have occasionally seen, but look at that tail!.
-A male Cooper’s Hawk Sitting above one of our feeder stations. Down below are a couple of small birds frozen in place at the feeders
-I watched this guy for about 20 minutes as he surveyed the scene. The bird frequently pulled its left foot up under it breast feathers and posed
Cooper’s Hawks make frequent trips to our feeders and cause quite a stir every time. The female caught a dove a few weeks ago and plucked and ate it against our deer fence out back. I often see some small birds perched near the hawk in the cover of a holly tree. It seems the hawk is wary of attempting to catch them and the prey seem to know they are safer surrounded by all those spiky leaves.
Earlier this week, while sitting on the screen porch, I heard the swoosh of wings as the hawk dive-bombed the area. I caught a glimpse of it as it streaked across the back fence and then made a right angle turn and flew off into the woods. I thought whatever it had chased had made its escape. But, when I walked out back, I found this pile of dove feathers so it seems dove was on its menu again.
-A pile of Mourning Dove feathers indicates the Cooper’s may have made another kill
I think it must be tough to be one of the larger birds at the feeders, especially a dove. They tend to be slower at taking flight when the hawk streaks onto the scene. Two days ago, a Red-bellied Woodpecker hit the back window very hard in an attempt to escape (it unfortunately died). I decided to not feed in that area any more this season as it is too close to the house to allow consistent escape routes from the aerial terror. I also caught the Cooper’s Hawk on one of the trail cameras this month, perched on a log frequented by squirrels. Now, if only they would start dining on that menu item (I have only seen it once, when a female Cooper’s caught a young squirrel out back).
Another raptor species has also been making itself known these past few weeks. It is breeding season for Red-shouldered Hawks and they often soar above our ridge (hence our apt road name, Buteo Ridge). One day last week, I heard some screaming and saw one land in a tree out back. Meanwhile, another smaller one (male?) soared nearby, also calling. Then, a third one appeared and there was some slight interactions and the larger one kept changing position in different trees while the two smaller ones continued to soar overhead. This went on for about 15 minutes. Have a listen (sound up)…
–The sounds of Red-shouldered Hawks in their spring aerial rituals
Our largest predators, the Coyotes, continue to baffle me in their activity patterns. Last month, I rarely saw them on the trail cameras. Then, for a span of a couple of weeks, they were seen day and night for many days in a row. This past week, nothing.
–A pair of Coyotes on the move in daylight
The cameras usually capture at least two Coyotes on the move, one trailing the other by a few seconds.
–There have been a few captures of three Coyotes traveling together on the trail cameras
Two times this month, a camera caught a Coyote carrying something – the first time a small dark object, and this time…? Any guesses? I can’t tell.
–Another predator mystery…what is this Coyote carrying?
Finally, something that most of us don’t usually think of as a predator. The wildlife ponds have attracted a lot of action this spring. They are full of Spotted Salamander eggs (another predator) and lately, they are the source of the sounds of spring. First there were a few Upland Chorus Frogs calling. Now, it is the Spring Peepers. And they can be deafening! But what a treat (unless you are a small insect). And to quote a famous “philosopher”, Here it is, your moment of Zen…(sound up)
-The sound of several tiny predators, Spring Peepers, in one of our wildlife pools
Roads End Naturalist 