The Crow, Hawk and Owl

A drama unfolded in our yard last Sunday Jan 23rd, 2002. We were attracted to look out the house towards the yard by a cacophony of crows, only to find that a Goshawk had pounced on a crow. 

 

The crow still very much alive fought back. Then suddenly a Barred owl got into the act. 

The hawk left, and the owl finally did the crow in. 

 

The carcass was too large for the owl to carry off, so instead it started plucking the feathers while attempting to drag the carcass away. 

 

 

The hawk eventually returned to retake possession, and the owl flew into the tree above to watch as the hawk consumed the carcass.

 

 When it was light enough, the hawk flew off with it in its clutches and with the owl in hot pursuit. I must say it was an adrenalin rush to watch. Time for a rest now.

Since this event, I did some research into these birds.

According to the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum) Field Guide to birds of Ontario, the Northern Goshawk weighs 1.5-2.6 lb.

The Barred owl weighs 1.4-1.7 lb. and

the American Crow weighs around 1 lb.

 

The most common prey of the Goshawk is Grouse, which is a bit smaller than the crow and not nearly as aggressive.