Birds risk all to protect nest

So much for the pecking order as we know it.

Last Sunday afternoon out at Patriots Point, my husband, Bill Thrash, and I spotted a beautiful red-tailed hawk sitting quietly on top of a huge mound of excavated dirt next to a parking area. It was the picture of noble strength, reminding of us a bald eagle with its powerful, elegant presence.

As we stood there admiring the hawk, all of a sudden a scrawny little mockingbird came dashing down from somewhere with harassment on its mind. The feisty mockingbird conducted a series of high-speed fly-bys, squawking loudly, zooming around the hawk and repeatedly diving down to peck the hawk on the back.

All the while, the hawk sat motionless. Bill and I wondered if maybe it was injured or sick because it simply didn't seem to know, or care, what was going on. After a few minutes, though, it took flight, fine and strong, and headed into a stand of trees not far away. We were so busy watching the hawk to see if was OK that we lost track of where the mockingbird ended up.

The aggressive nature of the mockingbird is well-known, but I was surprised by how fearless it had been in going after the hawk. I asked Jeff Mollenhauer, director of bird conservation for Audubon South Carolina at the Beidler Forest in Harleyville, for his expert opinion on what might have prompted such a bold attack — and why the hawk would have seemed indifferent.

"My hunch is that there was probably nothing wrong with the hawk," Jeff said in an e-mail after looking at the photos Bill took (two of which are reprinted here). "Although the mockingbird's dive-bomb attack looks fierce, I do not think that it posed a serious threat to the red-tailed hawk. I have handled many mockingbirds and their bark is definitely much worse than their bite, so to speak.

"At this time of year, mockingbirds are nesting and react very aggressively to anything they perceive as a predator, which includes hawks, cats, dogs and occasionally even people," he says. "Their goal is to chase the predator as far away from their nest as possible, so if you are the target of a mockingbird attack, leave the area and it will leave you alone."

As bad as Bill and I felt about the hawk getting pecked, Jeff's advice makes me glad we didn't try to interfere in their turf war.

Jeff added that he has seen some amazing behavior from birds trying to protect their young. "I once observed an Eastern kingbird (about the same size as a mockingbird) dive-bombing a flying bald eagle. The kingbird actually took to landing on the eagle's back during flight for several seconds at a time and pecking at it," he said. "It is absolutely amazing the risks that these birds will go to, to defend their young. I once saw a red-tailed hawk with a blue jay in its talons and wondered if perhaps it got a little too close while harassing the hawk."

Notes from all over

--Jim Cubie writes, "Last week my wife and I were floating up Wambaugh Creek with the tide. About 150 feet ahead of us there was a bobcat on a log that was leaning down into the creek. It was so intent on its fishing that it did not see us until we got to about 50 feet from it. Wambaugh Creek is a wonderful place to see wildlife because it is completely surrounded by the national forest and because one can ride the tide in or out without even making noise from paddling."

--In last Sunday's Almanac, Robin Stout of Summerville had wondered if anyone had seen bald eagles in the Summerville area. She and a friend had seen a juvenile bald eagle recently in the Ravenel-Hollywood area. Reader Blake Monson of Summerville responded that he's seen bald eagles a number of times while kayaking down the Ashley. "It was probably just downstream from King's Grant, and one time I was lucky enough to observe an eagle grab a fish out of the river about 100 feet in front of me." I also heard from Karen Elks of Pregnall that there are bald eagles in the Dorchester area at the Brosnan Forest private railroad property.

Thought for the week

From President Thomas Jefferson: "I sincerely congratulate you on the arrival of the mockingbird. Learn all the children to venerate it as a superior being in the form of a bird, or as a being which will haunt them if any harm is done to itself or its eggs."

What's the news from your backyard? If it's getting your attention, let us know. Photos of backyard critters are welcome; send attached JPG files at least 400 kb. Reach Ann Mitchell at amitchell@postandcourier.com, or by writing to The Post and Courier, 134 Columbus St., Charleston, SC 29403-4800.