Danger lurks for young birds as hawk snags unwary flicker from nest

Q: I’ve been watching a flicker family growing up in a tree on my property. The parents bring food and the youngsters stick their heads out of the nest hole to eat it. Out of nowhere and in the blink of an eye recently, a broad-winged hawk swooped in and grabbed one of the young flickers. Afterward, the parents kept pushing the surviving chick back into the nest hole. It all happened so fast I didn’t get a photo.

A: What a tragic tale, and I hadn’t known that broad-wings would engage in such behavior, more frequently associated with bird-eating accipiters, like Cooper’s hawks. Broad-wings more often focus on catching rodents. Let’s hope that the remaining young flicker listens to its parents, because the hawk will likely try again.

Q: Whenever I mow the lawn, I have a number of robins patiently waiting on my fence to see what insects the mowing reveals. I’m now using a quiet electric mower, and wonder if they’re responding to the sound of the mower or the visual stimulus telling them that “dinner is served.”

A: That’s an excellent observation, and I’m betting that the robins are happy that you’re using a quieter mower, but their interest is in whatever insects the mower turns up. This is a fascinating example of birds’ intelligence and ability to learn.

Q: It’s been raining so much this summer, leading me to wonder how heavy rain and/or high winds affect hummingbirds’ ability to fly. And more generally, how these affect other birds.

A: That’s an excellent question, and it inspired me to do some research. We’ve all seen that in a heavy downpour, birds tend to disappear, choosing to shelter in dense foliage, among thick branches or under an overhang or other structure until the storm passes. They’re not so much avoiding getting wet, since feathers protect them, up to a point, but it’s simply more difficult to fly in the rain: flight feathers get wet and weight a bird down. Most birds choose not to fly in the rain, unless they’re very hungry. Hummingbirds can still fly in light rain, but their small size and weight mean they are easily buffeted by high winds.

Q: I have found a considerable amount of bark under my maple tree twice this month, and I’m guessing that squirrels are responsible. I want to keep this tree healthy and need some advice on how to prevent this from happening again.

A: This doesn’t sound like squirrels are the bark-strippers, but it very much does sound like the result of woodpecker activity, especially by a pileated woodpecker. It’s possible that your maple has some kind of insect infestation, and a woodpecker wants to reach the beetles or grubs beneath the bark. Sorry to say, I know of no way to prevent a persistent woodpecker from chipping off bark in its pursuit of a meal. It might be a good idea to call for a visit by an arborist to diagnose your tree’s health.

Q: I didn’t see or hear chickadees at my feeders or in the backyard all summer, and then suddenly they’re back. I love to hear their “dee” calls and wonder why they left.

A: The chickadees you were used to seeing in the winter and early spring probably found a good nest site somewhere in the neighborhood in May. Remember, they nest in cavities (or nest boxes), so their nesting options are limited and they must go where they can find a cavity. Now that their brood has fledged and young birds are dispersing, they’re returning to familiar haunts for feeder foods.

Q: Four or five noisy and active hawks are living in a tree on our street. Our block club is advising people that their cats might be in danger from the hawks, and I’m wondering whether this is true.

A: First of all, it’s a good idea to keep cats indoors, all of the time, because they pose a major threat to birds and other wildlife. But I don’t think a Cooper’s hawk, whose average weight is 1.2 pounds, poses a danger to the average cat, averaging about 9 lbs. It sounds like a pair of Cooper’s hawks built a nest and raised their nestlings in a tree on that residential street, something unheard of 20 to 30 years ago. The hawks should disperse soon after they attain flight ability and can feed themselves (these hawks prey primarily on birds, but young Cooper’s hawks often chase squirrels, as well).

Q: I have a problem with critters like squirrels and mice scurrying around under my bird feeders. I recall reading an article about adding powdered hot pepper to bird seed. This apparently doesn’t bother birds but it does deter mammals. What do you think?

A: I’m not a fan of adding hot pepper (capsaicin) to bird seed or spreading it under feeders.

I’ve seen some experts advise that birds are able to tolerate the hot stuff on their tongues and throats. However, others say that the act of landing on feeders could kick up pepper dust and this could irritate birds’ eyes and nasal passages. As for spreading it on the ground, you’d need so much of the stuff, and it would wash out after every rain, and it might harm ground-feeding birds. A better alternative is to sweep or rake under feeders regularly to remove the spilled seed. You won’t be able to totally deter squirrels and chipmunks, but you can minimize the attraction.

Q: When our kids were small, someone gave us a large plastic lizard. It was fun to place it near the base of a tree and watch the squirrels, chipmunks and rabbits try to figure out whether it was friend or foe. They’d eventually come to feel comfortable around it, until we moved it to a new spot.

A: I like the sound of that lizard as a short-term deterrent to ground-feeding mammals.

Q: I read on the Birding page about the Sax-Zim Bog being one of the best places to go birding in the state. We visited the place in the summer and I don’t think we saw a single bird, plus the visitors center was closed and the mosquitoes were terrible. I don’t understand how you see birds in this big open area.

A: The bog is about a 50-minute drive northwest of Duluth, and can be a challenge, especially in summer. It covers 300 square miles, so birds are spread out, and the insects can be fierce. I hope you’ll give it another try, but first check in with this site: https://saxzim.org/plan-your-visit/. The website says that 80% of visitors come in the winter months, when it’s a good idea to have a four-wheel-drive vehicle. You might consider hiring one of the guides listed on the website to help maximize your bird sightings.

St. Paul resident Val Cunningham, a member of the St. Paul Audubon Society, writes about nature for various publications. She can be reached at valwrites@comcast.net.