The Victor

Here he is, the Victor.

At least, we hope he will be okay. 

Here is the Vanquished:

It's an adult Coopers Hawk that's been getting our birds daily.  It got Little Boots, the lesser Mille Fleur rooster yesterday.

It landed in the wrong henyard today.  I was shopping most of the day in the heavy rain, in and out of the car, until I wore myself out, literally.  I got home at 3:15, and got out of the car and immediately fed the llamas. Still raining, I realized the birds were screaming in the big henyard, and those of you with chickens will know what I mean.  I ran over there, and found my big Rocky, my big beautiful rooster, in a heap, with blood under him.

I ran in the house, calling to Keith please to come help me with Rocky, that something was in the henyard.  He put a jacket on and came out in the rain.

And no, I did not stop to take that picture, but that blood was where Rocky was laying.

When we got out there, Rocky was UP AND WALKING!  Brutus and three of the hens were still making cries and Keith walked them all in, Rocky the last to go.  When we went around the back of the henhouse, we found the Coopers on the fence.  He could not fly out. 

We came in the house and called Operation Wildlife over in Linwood.  A volunteer in Shawnee picked the phone up, asked some questions, told us how to catch him... and then told us to leave a message with OWL in Linwood.  We did.  However, after we got the instructions, Keith and I went back out there in the dark, and found the hawk in the opposite corner of the henyard.  We think he is either in shock or wounded, and Keith thinks his wing is hurt. Keith was able to throw a blanket over him, and lifted him up and into a crate lined with straw.  The bird immediately slumped down and laid there.  I wish I could have taken pictures of the defensive stance the hawk took... he looked like an eagle in the flashlight's beam... beak wide and wings wide.  But Keith handled him quietly and firmly, and then lifted him gently into the crate.  He took him to the shop, where he will be dry and quiet the rest of the night. Again, Keith is my hero.  I can't believe how this man who spent his life in the Army (though he did hunt as a youth) and knew little about animals has jumped right in with both feet, maintains his cool, and does such great stuff for us here.  What did I ever do without him!

Tomorrow we'll get the hawk over to Operation Wildlife and hopefully they will be able to get him rehabilitated and released FAR FAR from Calamity Acres!