Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!purdue!haven!vrdxhq!edm
From: edm@vrdxhq.verdix.com (Ed Matthews)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Hawk Eating Roadkill
Message-ID: <22403@vrdxhq.verdix.com>
Date: 12 Oct 89 11:28:34 GMT
Organization: Verdix Corporation, Chantilly,  VA
Lines: 20

Yesterday while driving home, a small hawk (crow sized, possibly juvenile)
fluttered down out of a tree by the road into the middle of the road.  It
took two hops (like a crow) over to a fresh roadkill.  I'm really nearsighted
and thought it was a crow from its attitude until I got close.  I'm happy
to report that the hawk and I had a near miss.  I'm guessing from the tail
that it flashed me that it's a Red Shouldered or a Cooper's.  I'm betting
on the Red Shouldered.  With all the traffic and trying to avoid the bird,
I didn't get a good look at anything but the tail.  Now two things that are
a little strange to me:  1) hawk eating roadkill -- I've seen hundreds of
hawks/owls sitting by the road, but never seen them after carrion, and have
always seen them go after live prey; and, 2) approach to the carrion --
from seeing hawks come screaming out of the sky after small animals, I 
would have extrapolated that the approach to the carrion would be similar:
swoop down and carry it off.  Is this behavior unusual?

-- 

Ed Matthews                                                edm@verdix.com
Verdix Corporation Headquarters                            (703) 378-7600
Chantilly, Virginia