An Unlikely Target- Cooper’s Hawks -VS- kingfishers

by - September 28, 2012 - Bird Sightings, Birding - Tagged: , , , , - 3 comments

A few mornings ago I was birding my normal route along Somerset Lake in Somerset County, PA. Raptors were plentiful and I had a hard time counting and watching the shorebirds in front of me as the accipiters and a Peregrine Falcon kept stirring up the flocks. The Belted Kingfishers were all upset and vocalizing like mad, which I often hear when raptors are around. Then I heard one Kingfisher become extremely vocal. I looked to see a Cooper’s Hawk hot on its tail! The Coop pursued the kingfisher out over open water, where the Kingfisher was able to out maneuver it and get away, flying safely to the shore. I thought that it was strange to see an accipiter in pursuit of a a bird out over open water. On the coast I have seen kingfishers targeted by Peregrines, but not very often. “Very cool,” I thought as I moved on to my next stop.

Cooper’s Hawk passing on a Belted Kingfisher

At my next stop, the south boat launch, I was looking at a flock of warblers and again heard several kingfishers very upset and vocal. I looked over to see not one, but two being chased by Coopers Hawks! One narrowly escaped by plunging into the water, the Cooper’s Hawk actually tried to grab it out of the water and was not able to get a hold of it!

Cooper's Hawk almost grabs a Belted Kingfisher which dove into the water to escape

Cooper’s Hawk almost grabs a Belted Kingfisher which dove into the water to escape

About fifteen minutes later I heard commotion again. A big female Cooper’s Hawk was right on another kingfisher’s tail, This time the kingfisher was not as lucky. Moments after I shot the photo below, the Cooper’s Hawk grabbed the kingfisher momentarily, but then its luck shifted and the kingfisher somehow managed to get away. All in all I saw six different kingfishers being chased over open water. As far as the score went- Belted Kingfishers 6, Cooper’s Hawks Ø.

Cooper's Hawk Hot on the tail of another Belted Kingfisher

Cooper’s Hawk Hot on the tail of another Belted Kingfisher

Mike Lanzone

Mike started birding when he was 8, and has worked as a field ornithologist for various state, federal, and private organizations across the United States and Mexico. Recently he was the Assistant Coordinator for the 2nd Pennsylvania Breeding Bird Atlas and the Biotechnology and Biomonitoring Lab Supervisor stationed at Powdermill, the biological research station of Carnegie Museum of Natural History. In the spring of 2011 he was awarded the Conservation Award from the Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology for the work done on eastern Golden Eagles. Currently, Mike is the Chief Executive Officer of Cellular Tracking Technologies in Somerset, PA. His major foci include Golden Eagle flight behavior and telemetry and nocturnal monitoring of birds using flight calls. A lot of his work recently has focused on advances in the application of bioacoustics to the monitoring of geographically remote breeding populations of songbirds in North America and, hopefully, around the world. When he isn’t working he spends much of his time outside birding, photography and gardening. In addition to serving on several board of directors for NGOs, Mike currently serves on the Pennsylvania Ornithological Records Committee and is the vice president for Pennsylvania Society for Ornithology.

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