These past two days I’ve had the privilege of watching a band of crows run a hawk out of the neighborhood.
Before the crows came, the hawks had a happy hunting ground. One of them once buzzed my head. Remembering what happened to Kirk Douglas in The Vikings, I ducked just in time.
No single crow is a match for a hawk, but three or four will do the trick. Watching these events reminds me of the aerial combats in World War I. If the Allies had thought of sending up three or four planes to deal with the Red Baron, they would’ve nailed him long before he posted 80-some kills.
The hawks are after squirrels and smaller birds. These prey animals now benefit from the crows’ vigilance and zeal. God’s creation is full of local “balance of power” politics. We might’ve had no squirrels left if the crows had not moved in.
Don’t worry–He won’t let the hawks starve.
Hawks daily glide over my neighborhood and we still have an abundance of squirrels. Seldom do crows come into our area. If they land in our yard my wife is quick to shoo them away.
Our hawks killed a lot of squirrels, and they weren’t shy about it. But I haven’t seen them do it lately.
PS–A mob of sparrows almost killed the male hawk. I hope he learned his lesson.
Good reference to The Vikings!
I wonder how many of us remember it.
God’s works are wonderful.
In my neighborhood, red tailed hawks are common. A few years ago, I was on my bike, and it was like a movie scene, where a huge shadow makes everyone look skyward. Then a hawk zoomed ahead of me, just above my head. From my perspective, it looked to be about the wingspan of a B-17. 🙂
I remember watching a video dealing with the “balance of power” concerning prey and predator. Where reintroducing one predator, wolves, long vacant from the mountain landscapes in one state, changed the terrain and topography in an amazing way, and restored the streams, brought back the diversity of foliage growing alongside of rivers and in the valleys. Restoring balance, healed the land.
I am going to see if I can find that video or information and provide the link.
Here are two links I found. Of course, balance in everything should be considered. Sheep and cattle ranchers, might not have been real happy, when they reintroduced another predator.
How Wolves Saved the Foxes, Mice and Rivers of Yellowstone National Park – Earthjustice
Wolves & Our Ecosystem – Living with Wolves
I’ll have to watch these sometime soon.
I guess without the crows, the hawks around here would be eating everybody else.