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March 27, 2015
This morning I watched as Roxie began to eat another meal in the cypress tree.
While I was watching, I noticed two porters clearing debris from the canal that is located just beyond the cypress trees. One of the porters saw Roxie and pointed; they walked quietly away from the water to a point where they had a better look at her. Not wishing to waste an opportunity to share information, I walked outside and surprised them by saying "Hello." Almost immediately, as we began talking about the hawks, Rufous flew out of nest tree and over to a location near Roxie. I returned to the house and took a video of Roxie finishing her meal. Although there is no sound recorded from my location inside the house, you can see Roxie "talking" while she eats -- no doubt complaining to Rufous about the intruders!
Before Roxie had finished her meal, Rufous took off, flying out of the tree like a streak of lightning! He veered upward and curved over nest tree on a trajectory that would intercept a heedless bird flying from east to west above and beyond nest tree. The tree prevented me from seeing the action complete, but I doubt Rufous returned to the cypress tree empty-taloned
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March 28, 2015
Roxie continues to return to the same location in the cypress tree for her meals. This is a sequence of photos that I call "Thinking about Breakfast." She very carefully checks out her surroundings before proceeding to eat. It is not a good thing to have to relocate in mid-meal and risk losing any choice parts. Notice the seeds spilling out of the decapitated bird, most likely the last meal of a mourning dove.
And finally she makes her decision:
Rufous may be providing some or all of her food at this time. He is almost always close by, vigilant while she eats, as seen in this video:
Continue to Chapter 7: A Day in the Life of a Cooper's Hawk
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