SUBURBAN COOPER'S AND CATS

     Cooper's hawks and free-roaming house cats are major predators in our suburban New Holland, Pennsylvania neighborhood.  I've seen both species on the prowl several times each from our house and lawn.  They are interesting parts of nature, experienced first-hand and close from the comforts of home.

     Forest-evolved Cooper's hawks hunt prey in older suburbs because of the many maturing trees in those human-made habitats that are appealing to gray squirrels, cottontail rabbits mourning doves and other kinds of wildlife.  House cats are there because they are allowed to roam free outdoors where their hunting instincts and skills become active.     

     The handsome Coop's mostly prey on birds, including starlings, doves and other kinds.  This type of diurnal raptor is  swift and powerful in flight.  During an ambush of birds, Coop's can outfly and out-maneuver some of their potential victims.  The hawks even chase birds into dense shrubbery to try to snare them in their strong, sharp talons.  

     I have even seen Cooper's hawks crawling through bushes and walking on the ground around them to catch an unwary victim.  And I've witnessed Coop's careening in flight low across our lawn in hot pursuit of panicked doves, northern cardinals and blue jays.  The wild attacks by these hawks are thrilling to see.

     I've seen Coop's perched in bare, winter trees and tearing the feathers off their prey, which float gently to the ground.  Then with a series of yanks, the hawks tear off chunks of meat and swallow it whole, as birds have no teeth, which reduces their weight for flight.

     Though domesticated for thousands of years, house cats still have effective hunting instincts.  They hunt prey as well as any wild predator.  

     I've seen cats lie in ambush in shrubbery by bird feeders waiting for a bird to come within pouncing distance.  I have noticed a cat crossing our lawn with a dead gray squirrel in its mouth, and another cat chasing a half-grown rabbit into shrubbery.  I once saw a cat savagely leap up to our bird feeder, with a thud, and catch a sluggish female cardinal in its teeth.  And, of course, cats are known for snaring mice and rats, and chipmunks, wherever those rodents may be.

     The adaptable Cooper's hawks and house cats each have found a niche in suburban areas.  They get a living and we humans are privy to wild, exciting entertainment in our own back yards.                

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