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Attack!

Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2019 2:33 pm
by Killerbunny
I was out this am taking some pics locallyish and I happened on a bunch of turkeys practicing for breeding season. Nice males and some decent hens. Interesting behaviour because the senior hens were clearly telling the juniors that they get first chance at the nice male. All of a sudden the 2 outlier jakes started a fuss and ran for the hedgerow and this swooped at them all. A large hawk but must have been desperate to head for turkeys because they can do a lot of damage with those wings (I know). Picture not so great but it happened so fast. You can get an idea of scale by the large fenceposts in the shot.
hawk.jpg
Any ideas on what it is? Feeling lucky just to see this behaviour.
And here are some of the turkeys.
turkey tom.jpg

Re: Attack!

Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2019 3:04 pm
by Brebis
Immature Northern Goshawk?

Re: Attack!

Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2019 3:15 pm
by Killerbunny
Oh could be with that eye stripe and the huge legs &talons.

Re: Attack!

Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2019 5:35 pm
by Farrier1987
First flash in my mind was Kestrel. But too big and not really right. Looking up immature goshawk, you might be right, but I am leaning a little more to a merlin. A merlin will take rabbits. Not sure about a turkey, but they don't plan on fighting it to the death, they will attack the head with beak talons and kill or take of out of there. That last sentence is just a guess, not from sure knowledge. Sharp shin hawk would be bigger yet and a tighter pattern to the feathers I would think.

Anyway, FANTASTIC PICTURE. Should be properly identified and then some site like Cornell University as part of an identification thing.

Re: Attack!

Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2019 5:48 pm
by ross
Looks like Coopers to me .
Yep just got back from NE of Mt Forest picking up pigeons & saw 1 coyote in one field and farther down the road in a separate field a flock of about 75 mixed sex & age wild Turkeys in field grazing in sun along side of their home bush . Nice to see .

Re: Attack!

Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2019 5:51 pm
by Killerbunny
Much too big for a Merlin. Saw it sitting in a tree later and it was bigger than Raven sized. Turkeys main predator are things like Great Grey Owls which strike the back at dusk and injure. Then back off and wait.
And Thanks for the compliment :oops:

Re: Attack!

Posted: Sun Jan 13, 2019 6:57 pm
by Killerbunny
Farrier1987 wrote:
Sun Jan 13, 2019 5:35 pm
First flash in my mind was Kestrel. But too big and not really right. Looking up immature goshawk, you might be right, but I am leaning a little more to a merlin. A merlin will take rabbits. Not sure about a turkey, but they don't plan on fighting it to the death, they will attack the head with beak talons and kill or take of out of there. That last sentence is just a guess, not from sure knowledge. Sharp shin hawk would be bigger yet and a tighter pattern to the feathers I would think.

Anyway, FANTASTIC PICTURE. Should be properly identified and then some site like Cornell University as part of an identification thing.
Just thinking about the head attack and remembered that Stephen got hit by an owl at dusk a couple of years ago. It hit his head and caught his ear canal. Fortunately he was OK in the end but a disoriented turkey in the wild would be easy prey.
Ross, I love the way their feathers glow in the sun!

Re: Attack!

Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2019 6:46 am
by Farrier1987
Got the definitive word from a friend that worked for the Alberta gov as a bird man for about ten years. Says it is a yearling Goshawk.

Re: Attack!

Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2019 7:24 am
by Killerbunny
Great, thanks for the answer! @Brebis gets the big prize!
BTW @Farrier1987 I'll be ready with the camera when Perry starts hunting so we can record it for PTO!

Re: Attack!

Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2019 7:34 am
by Killerbunny
Here is the point when the panic started. Interestingly the Big Boy remained in the hedgerow the whole time until the hawk had gone. It was only the youngsters out displaying.
Panic.jpg