Comments on: The Hawk: Urban pest control http://dangerousintersection.org/2007/05/23/the-hawk-urban-pest-control/ Human Animals at the Crossroads of Culture, Science, Religion and Media Fri, 21 Nov 2008 12:05:20 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Tim Hogan http://dangerousintersection.org/2007/05/23/the-hawk-urban-pest-control/#comment-12609 Tim Hogan Fri, 25 May 2007 16:45:32 +0000 http://dangerousintersection.org/?p=1322#comment-12609 I've been fortunate to see kestrels, Cooper hawks, foxes, racoons, everpresent chipmunks (we had been feeding one on our deck and a cooper hawk swooped down over a juniper tree and flew off with the chipmunk my kids called "chip"), deer and one coyote in my neighborhood, along with many birds. We heard an owl two weeks ago but, didn't see it. Several weeks ago I heard a crow for the first time in a while. I had heard that the West Nile virus had decimated the crow population in the St. Louis area and more than 99% of the birds had died. I didn't see two crows, which before I had always seen. My kids and I used to feed fruit and leftover wafffles and pancakes to the crows at our old house. There were two birds which were particularly large and which we had called "King" and "Queen", which came when we "cawed" from our back deck. The virus hit, we didn't see them anymore and we moved. My kids miss their "crow friends" and tried to caw the new bird to our yard but, it moved on as though looking for something. I’ve been fortunate to see kestrels, Cooper hawks, foxes, racoons, everpresent chipmunks (we had been feeding one on our deck and a cooper hawk swooped down over a juniper tree and flew off with the chipmunk my kids called “chip”), deer and one coyote in my neighborhood, along with many birds. We heard an owl two weeks ago but, didn’t see it.

Several weeks ago I heard a crow for the first time in a while. I had heard that the West Nile virus had decimated the crow population in the St. Louis area and more than 99% of the birds had died. I didn’t see two crows, which before I had always seen. My kids and I used to feed fruit and leftover wafffles and pancakes to the crows at our old house. There were two birds which were particularly large and which we had called “King” and “Queen”, which came when we “cawed” from our back deck. The virus hit, we didn’t see them anymore and we moved. My kids miss their “crow friends” and tried to caw the new bird to our yard but, it moved on as though looking for something.

]]> By: Dan Klarmann http://dangerousintersection.org/2007/05/23/the-hawk-urban-pest-control/#comment-12585 Dan Klarmann Thu, 24 May 2007 11:43:21 +0000 http://dangerousintersection.org/?p=1322#comment-12585 Bat guano goes on the ground below the bat house, just where bats will deposit it before each flight. It's one consideration about where one chooses to place the house. As I mentioned in the responses to my <a href="http://dangerousintersection.org/?p=1313" rel="nofollow">moon shot</a>, I have a lightweight, stabilized, super-zoom camera. The hawk was taking off from the rooftop 3 houses down the street. Bat guano goes on the ground below the bat house, just where bats will deposit it before each flight. It’s one consideration about where one chooses to place the house.

As I mentioned in the responses to my moon shot, I have a lightweight, stabilized, super-zoom camera. The hawk was taking off from the rooftop 3 houses down the street.

]]> By: grumpypilgrim http://dangerousintersection.org/2007/05/23/the-hawk-urban-pest-control/#comment-12582 grumpypilgrim Thu, 24 May 2007 04:58:20 +0000 http://dangerousintersection.org/?p=1322#comment-12582 Bat houses are open at the bottom...where does one put the guano? BTW, that is a remarkable photo of that hawk. Where I live, hawks are *very* shy, and will fly away long before one can get close enough for such a picture (absent a long telephoto lens, of course...or, I suppose, its dinner lying in the street). Bat houses are open at the bottom…where does one put the guano?

BTW, that is a remarkable photo of that hawk. Where I live, hawks are *very* shy, and will fly away long before one can get close enough for such a picture (absent a long telephoto lens, of course…or, I suppose, its dinner lying in the street).

]]> By: Dan Klarmann http://dangerousintersection.org/2007/05/23/the-hawk-urban-pest-control/#comment-12580 Dan Klarmann Thu, 24 May 2007 03:10:49 +0000 http://dangerousintersection.org/?p=1322#comment-12580 The problem with bat houses is getting the guano you need to attract bats to the new location. I know people who have put up bat houses years ago, in the recommended location but without the bait, so still no bats. The problem with bat houses is getting the guano you need to attract bats to the new location. I know people who have put up bat houses years ago, in the recommended location but without the bait, so still no bats.

]]> By: grumpypilgrim http://dangerousintersection.org/2007/05/23/the-hawk-urban-pest-control/#comment-12579 grumpypilgrim Thu, 24 May 2007 00:21:44 +0000 http://dangerousintersection.org/?p=1322#comment-12579 If you like bats, you can buy or build bat houses to attract them to your backyard. Plans for do-it-yourself units can be found on the Internet, as can finished units you can buy. If you like bats, you can buy or build bat houses to attract them to your backyard. Plans for do-it-yourself units can be found on the Internet, as can finished units you can buy.

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