Oh and Deanna, this is that tape I got. I'm putting it up in my yard tomorrow.

Amazon.com: Nite Guard 2-Inch by 100-Feet...

It does look like the Red Tail... however the one at my house doesn't have the spots.. she is just kind of tan-ish on her breast area.

I am in California. In Riverside County… More inland. However I’m like an hour from the beaches ( Newport Beach, or down South.. San Diego), an hour from the mountains ( Lake Arrowhead).. then I’m like 2 ½ hours from the desert ( Glamis Ocotillo Wells)

Hey that's cool! LOL Maybe I will buy some and string it on Peanut’s dog run!! Also maybe some hanging off my eaves!

I thought you were in CA. All the pics I posted are hawks that reside in CA.

Oh that’s cool!!! How do you monitor the hawk migration?? Sounds pretty extreme! As much as I hate this hawk around, I love seeing her. I just think they are so beautiful!! I looked around this morning and she didn't pay us a visit! I know I watch Peanut like a hawk anyways so having her around doesn't scare me too much, but I will be extra careful and since she is around Peanut wont be anywhere outside with me/DH and a harness and leash!!

Red-tails have many many variations in plumage. The spots you are referring to are the "belly band" of dark feathers that have a speckled appearance. They don't all have this.

:D Thanks for that. All the hawks I have seen have been pretty brown and tan on the inside.. no spots or anything. The falcon I have seen has had spots- and were way smaller.

That makes sense.

A group of us monitor for the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory. We hike up to a hogback ridge just west of Denver which is along the migration flyway in this part of the country. We count birds by species on designated days from mid-March thru mid-April. It's amazing what comes thru here! :)

Oh that's cool. That would be so neat to see all the different types of birds!! I bet you see all kinds of pretty birds.

Yeah, it's pretty neat. We get get excited at something that isn't supposed to be here, like red-shouldered or broad-winged hawks.

Why are they usually there? How long do they stay? Is it like they are just stopping by or something?

A lot of species are just migrating through to their breeding areas and don't stay. Some raptors do not migrate and are here year-round. Once in awhile you'll get a bird(s) that are out of their range, blown off course, or perhaps displaced due to lack of desired prey. For example, this happens with snowy owls when lemming populations in the tundra crash. We had sightings of them here last winter.

Red tails are year-round in your area. It's also breeding season & this one of yours may have a nest nearby which is why you may be seeing it so often. :)

so here I'm thinking, geez poor peeps with these hawks and awful birds of prey hanging around. We were out quadbiking today and what does my OH point out to me, HAWKS! I nearly flipped. He also tells me that the other day he watched a hawk swoop down on some poor unsuspecting doves, I mean hello :confused::confused::confused: sometimes I really worry about myself LOL, I don't know why I would think that we would not have the same dangers as everywhere else :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

Very interesting!! Hmmm I wonder where her nest is?? I haven't seen her today-

I went to Ace Hardware, and bought these large plastic owls...you put sand in them, and then hang them all around the back yard. You have to periodically.....like ever other day, reposition the huge plastic owls, but the hawks are deterred by owls....so they do stay farther away...but if you think you were successful in running them away, and then stop moving the owls around, the hawks catch on and will come back! I used to have the hawks sit on my fence and watch me and my babies out in the yard....you certainly can not let them run freely with hawks sitting around, watchinmg.......and YES! that hawk is watching your Peanut and is only waiting for the opportunity to make a meal of him!

OMG girl, scary! We have hawks here too and I'm always so nervous about the dogs being outside. We don't leave them out there alone, but even when we're with them, I still scope the sky. We also have owls too, and they also could scoop these little ones right on up.

Our little guys (5 lbs or <) are so cute, but I'm really glad all my guys are Teapots. My biggest are 13 and 9 lbs, and my puppy is over 7 lbs now, and growing like a weed.

We've had one attack, which resulted in the dismemberment of the Hawk, and several "swoops" which, fortunately for the Hawk, weren't anything more than noticeable to my guys.

It's rather funny actually. When they see any large Bird, they do like the Hawk's do, sit still and watch it intensely, and just dare it (I think) to come close enough for them to jump up and grab it. I know that sounds scary to most, but I have a great deal of confidence in them, given that they regularly encounter other aggressive species when I take them out hunting. It's Possum's usually, an occasional Snake, and of course Rodents which live along the banks of the Bayou which runs close to the house. My Female Becca is the most aggressive toward Birds, I wouldn't dare turn Her loose in a Chicken Coup ! :eek:

Many of us underestimate the capabilities of our little Varminteers, they (from my personal experience) are not going to allow something to attack them, with out probable drastic results to the attacker.

I don't say this to cause you to become less careful, but, maybe a little less afraid. ;)

When they are "teapots", that is probably true, as they know no fear, regardless of their size. But those that have small dogs....6# and under, especially the 5 and under group, are no match for a predator bird, regardless of how big and bad they want to be! I hope no one thinks for one second their baby is safe from predator birds....when these birds fall from the sky like a bolder, and hit these babies on their back/spine, it breaks their backs and they are renderted totally unable to defend themselves....the smaller fellas, these birds just swoop down and grab them up in talons....horrifying, absolutely horrifyiong////leaving you soooooooo helpless, as you stand there, in shock, watching your baby being carried off in the claws of a hawk, eagle, owl, etc.

I think I'm going to try the fake Owl- see what happens. I haven't see my hawk in a couple days, so maybe she went somewhere else!!

Very scary! I was nervous before I started seeing this hawk, now I am just extra nervous! LOL

Never, never NEVER would I think for a second Peanut is safe with this bird!

I've heard of hawks attacking 9 pound Yorkies..

Hey, Deanna -

I hung up those holographic ribbons that I was telling you about. Side note - it is keeping the squirrels away too. Yay! :)

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:thumbup:Very nice, me likey!! Let me know how to works.. do you know the last time you have seen a hawk around your house?

I put these up Saturday afternoon. I haven't seen one (well one that I worried about) since then. But too soon to tell. I think it will help indirectly, too - by keeping the squirrels that they hunt out of my yard.

I will update you when some more time has passed.

:thumbup: Thanks!!

I don't remember which member of YT it was but their little 2 or 3 pound girl was attacked by a good sized hawk last year but she ended up killing the thing! She is lucky to be alive and I'm sure her owner is taking no chances now. I know my little girl can be quite a little tiger when she is "fighting" her toys. It seems many Yorkies still have that fighting instinct.

Some of those big birds will swoop at animals that they could not possibly carry away They kill them on the ground and eat what they can right there. I would not take chances even with a tea pot. The huge owls we have around here fly silently and can grab with those huge talons doing a lot of damage. When a young prey bird is hungry it will attack some very strange creatures in an attempt to get a meal.

We have a few crows and black birds around here. Usually when a big hawk comes into the area the crows and other black birds, that are not nearly as big as the hawk, will gang up on it and chase it from tree to tree until it finally leaves for more comfortable lodgings.

Now if I could only find a critter to do that to the bear!

Well, I think some of the braver squirrels are onto it because this morning, there were about 3 of them at the other end of my yard. Phooey!