A personal story from Talkin’ Birds Ambassador Allen Rand of Cleveland, Ohio

This is a first-hand experience of behaviors I had not seen in the wild before.

I work in a second-floor office that overlooks a small pond with a fountain. One day this past June, I stepped over to the window when I wanted a break. To my surprise and awe, a Red-tailed Hawk flew in from somewhere behind me and landed in a tree by the spillway. Now, this is where things get tense. A pair of Canada Geese and their two goslings were resting on the spillway. When they saw the hawk, they made haste into the pond and swam towards the middle by the fountain. Hiding under some vegetation on the bank of the pond near the spillway was a mother Mallard with six ducklings. They all headed to the same location in a tight bunch.

While the families were scrambling to safety, three male Red-winged Blackbirds shot out from the reeds and headed straight for the hawk. They were in formation like fighter jets, and I’d swear I didn’t see a single wing beat. I hurried back to my desk, where I instant messaged my bird buddy co-worker at home: “High drama on the pond.” Then I grabbed the community binoculars (yes, we keep a pair at work) and rushed back to the window.

By the time I returned to my front-row seat, two Blue Jays and an American Crow had joined the fray. The hawk, having nowhere to hide, took several direct hits from the agitated local residents. By this time, the waterfowl were safe and the hawk had locked in on something else to eat. It lifted off, then dove down and grabbed something from the far bank. Even with binoculars I was unable to make out what the hawk caught, but the blackbirds were still not happy. The jays and the crow had gone on their way, but the blackbirds continued to harass the raptor. Then they all flew out of sight behind the neighboring building, the hawk still clutching its meal.

I found it interesting that the geese and ducks headed to the middle of the pond. It makes sense because hawks typically do not grab food from the water. I wonder whether they would have done the same if the predator were a Bald Eagle, which does grab food from the water? Secondly, the speed at which the male blackbirds organized and flew directly to where the hawk was perched gave me a new respect for that species. I usually find their territorial behavior annoying, but I commend them for doing what they could to keep the area free of predators. Finally, the jays and the crow seemed to come out of nowhere. They don’t like predators either—I know a predator is near when I hear their raucous alarm calls—but it seemed like they came to help the blackbirds chase the hawk. I realize I’m anthropomorphizing the situation, but we humans still have a lot to learn about other animals.

The whole episode lasted only three or four minutes, but it was long enough for me to better my behavior recognition skills. I’m eager for another opportunity to see what happens in similar situations.