Hawk and Cardinal

by Stan Tekiela
© NatureSmart
January 20, 2006

I love it when the drama of nature unfolds in front of me. Over the last two decades as a naturalist and wildlife photographer I have been privileged to witness all sorts of "national geographic-like" moments and they all still thrill me.

Some may remember the story I wrote after photographing a pair of loons that attacked and ultimately killed a Western Grebe. That is an event I will never forget. Well, recently while photographing some birds at a bird feeder, I witnessed another exciting moment in nature.

I had been working on photographing Northern Cardinals, a bird which takes an extreme amount of time, patients and a truck load of luck. I usually work on cardinals during winter because their temperament mellows which permits several pairs of cardinals to co-exist without relentless fighting.

From deep within the forest a small sharp eyed predator burst on the feeding station sending House Finches, Blue Jays, Dark-eyed Juncos and Cardinals fleeing in all directions. A first year Sharp-shinned Hawk locked onto a male cardinal that was feeding on the ground. While all the other birds escaped to safety this male cardinal was trapped at the base of a large High Bush Cranberry shrub.

Studies show that male cardinals are disproportionately taken by hawks and other predators when compared to other birds. It would seem that their bright red feathers make them an easy target. In other words, what is good for attracting a mate is also good for attracting predators. A classic double edge sword scenario. It should seem obvious why the female cardinals are a dull brown color.

Anyway, here was this poor male cardinal nervously calling and hopping from branch to branch just 4 feet below the perched Sharp-shinned Hawk. The sharpie’s head was swiveling back and forth watching every move of the cardinal. I could almost see the thought pattern going through the sharpies head. He was calculating at what point should he dive down and make a grab for the cardinal.

Meanwhile several thoughts are going through my head. My impulse was to step up and scare away the hawk since I really love these cardinals. But I also love the hawks. I spend dozens of hours waiting for opportunities to photograph these red beauties and if this hawk takes one of my prized males it will mean I will have one less cardinal to photographic in the future. However, on the other hand, I am a professional wildlife photographer and I am sworn to not to interfere with an animal’s natural life cycle and you can’t get more natural than a hawk trying to catch something to eat.

So there I stood, concealed in my camouflage watching as the hawk made several attempts to catch the cardinal. The hawk would jump off the branch with its wings folded and drop down to make its way through the thick tangle of branches. The Cardinal would give a loud chip call and jump/fly to the opposite side of the shrub. The hawk would swing around a couple times trying again and again before returning to the top of the shrub where it would sit again eyeing the cardinal and considering its options.

This cat and mouse game went on for 5 to 6 minutes, all the time I was cheering for the cardinal yet not wanting to deprive the hawk of something to eat. During these cold winter days a small hawk like this needs to feed at least once a day if it is going to survive.

Suddenly and without warning the cardinal summed up enough courage to make a break for it. He bolted at full speed to a larger shrub about 30 feet away. Of course the hawk was in hot pursuit. The sharpie made one last desperate attempt to grab the cardinal in flight but missed, which allowed the cardinal to slip into the thick tangle unharmed.

The hawk quickly banked and came to land on a branch of a near-by tree. It seemed the cardinal’s risky move paid off. The hawk sat for a few minutes catching it breath before flying off back into the woods in search of another meal. The male cardinal sat at the bottom of the larger shrub for the next 15 minutes—no doubt counting his blessings. Slowly all the other resident birds emerged from their hiding places and resumed feeding at the feeders. And just like that the drama of nature was over. Now you know one of the reasons I love my job so much. Until next time…

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