rocksandstones
siblicide (Red-tailed hawks)
Normally the number of eggs laid by red-tailed hawks depends on the available food supply, but this pair did not make correction on the draught. Their main food are gophers, but the worse the draught gets, the drier the soil becomes, the less gophers there are.
At first there were three chicks. In my estimation the first one hatched on May 16 or 17, and I'd say the third one hatched a 5-7 days later. At first everything seemed to be fine, but then on June second I observed an aggression of the oldest chick towards the youngest one. On June third the aggression got worse. It was not even associated with the feeding anymore. June third was the last day I observed the third chick... The third chick was either killed or intimidated to such an extend that he even stopped asking for food...In any case he's gone. This kind of behavior is called siblicide. Siblicide is common in some birds species but relatively rare in red-tailed hawks.
Two surviving chicks are doing OK, but not because there are more gophers there now. No, not at all. There's a man who feeds the hawks and their babies with Safeway chicken legs, frozen rats, and who knows what else. He simply waves the food he brings in front of the male (dad) hawk, where the latest is sitting at a street lamp, and then drops it to the ground. The hawk needs no other invitation. He flies down, takes the food brought for him, and sometimes eats it himself, but most of the times takes to the nest, where the female (mom) eats it herself and feeds the chicks. with it.
And now I'd like to ask you a question: Do you believe these baby hawks should be helped by humans in order to survive?
My own opinion is: no, they should not, and not only because feeding wildlife is illegal under California law. Here are my other reasons why hawks should not be fed by humans:
1. Safeway chicken legs are not healthy food either for adults or for chicks. Hawks need all elements found in live prey they normally consume to remain healthy.
2. The male hawk practically stopped hunting, and completely depends on that man for food. Would he resume hunting, when the feeding stops, or he would always be a pigeon in hawk's feather?
3.What is going to happen when the chicks fledge? There will not be more gophers than there are now. Would that man keep feeding hawks?
4.Scientists state that more than half of fledglings die in the first year of their life. I believe that the chicks I'm talking about would have even smaller chance to survive in the wild because their food supply is not healthy and because I do not think they would have any opportunity to learn how to hunt live prey.
5. I've read that hawks who are fed by humans could become aggressive towards people.
6. I believe people should let the Nature to take its own course. When people intervene, they only make matter worse.
siblicide (Red-tailed hawks)
Normally the number of eggs laid by red-tailed hawks depends on the available food supply, but this pair did not make correction on the draught. Their main food are gophers, but the worse the draught gets, the drier the soil becomes, the less gophers there are.
At first there were three chicks. In my estimation the first one hatched on May 16 or 17, and I'd say the third one hatched a 5-7 days later. At first everything seemed to be fine, but then on June second I observed an aggression of the oldest chick towards the youngest one. On June third the aggression got worse. It was not even associated with the feeding anymore. June third was the last day I observed the third chick... The third chick was either killed or intimidated to such an extend that he even stopped asking for food...In any case he's gone. This kind of behavior is called siblicide. Siblicide is common in some birds species but relatively rare in red-tailed hawks.
Two surviving chicks are doing OK, but not because there are more gophers there now. No, not at all. There's a man who feeds the hawks and their babies with Safeway chicken legs, frozen rats, and who knows what else. He simply waves the food he brings in front of the male (dad) hawk, where the latest is sitting at a street lamp, and then drops it to the ground. The hawk needs no other invitation. He flies down, takes the food brought for him, and sometimes eats it himself, but most of the times takes to the nest, where the female (mom) eats it herself and feeds the chicks. with it.
And now I'd like to ask you a question: Do you believe these baby hawks should be helped by humans in order to survive?
My own opinion is: no, they should not, and not only because feeding wildlife is illegal under California law. Here are my other reasons why hawks should not be fed by humans:
1. Safeway chicken legs are not healthy food either for adults or for chicks. Hawks need all elements found in live prey they normally consume to remain healthy.
2. The male hawk practically stopped hunting, and completely depends on that man for food. Would he resume hunting, when the feeding stops, or he would always be a pigeon in hawk's feather?
3.What is going to happen when the chicks fledge? There will not be more gophers than there are now. Would that man keep feeding hawks?
4.Scientists state that more than half of fledglings die in the first year of their life. I believe that the chicks I'm talking about would have even smaller chance to survive in the wild because their food supply is not healthy and because I do not think they would have any opportunity to learn how to hunt live prey.
5. I've read that hawks who are fed by humans could become aggressive towards people.
6. I believe people should let the Nature to take its own course. When people intervene, they only make matter worse.