Kitties!
Besides coyotes, cars, and regular meals there's another very good reason we don't go roaming around (The Baby is supervised at all times) outdoors:
HAWKS!
This pair lives on the property where Mommy works in Henderson.
Daddy had just given Mommy the new camera the day before and on a whim she tossed it in her work bag.
What a great coincidence--she had a chance to try out the digital zoom right away!
They were busy tearing apart some small hapless furry creature (not pictured--euw) on top of the light pole when Mommy saw them. They are BIG! We would not want to be messin' around with that pointy beak.
The stink-eye is impressively menacing, too.
Thank Cod we live indoors.
Happy Wednesday!
XX The Katnip Lounge Kats XX
Shudder.
ReplyDeleteYes, indeed, inside is safest. We shall soon be on merikotka watch (sea eagle) because they are coming back and I have to guard the kingdom. But we are safe in the catio. Äiti -the bird nerd - wants to know what type of hawks those birdies are.
We just want to know they are a zillion miles from you!
Ted Hughes wrote a poem called Hawk Roosting from the POV of the hawk. It is one of the Human's favorite poems ever. The best two lines are:
ReplyDeleteThere is no sophistry in my body:
My manners are tearing off heads -
We think you saw that in action, MOL!
P.S. Forget The Baby. Are you sure that thing couldn't carry off you or Scott, MOL!
ReplyDeletePPS: The Human didn't mean that part about Forget The Baby. It was just a rhetorical device. Honest.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! Several years ago our mom got a picture of a Red Tail that stopped on our back fence to eat his lunch. Some of her pictures include the, er, lunch menu. She still can't figure out what it was :D
ReplyDeletePip, Smidgen, Minnie, Hollie
Our former Farm cat Fred was picked up by Mr. Eagle. Raptors are HUNGRY
ReplyDeleteA teenage version of one of those got lost in the should-be-catio a couple of years ago - and it was too stupid to find its way back out! My human had to help it. They may be menacing but they are not too bright.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great shots!
ReplyDeleteWe have some lovely hawks, eagles and condors around our village so the cats don't get let out unless they are watched here too
*shaking*
ReplyDeleteWhoa...we just have wee chickadees and bluejays and flickers and stuff We wouldn't want to mess with a hawk! Not that I ever go outside...
Those are really good reasons to be indoor kitties. We have Red tailed hawks in our backyard and a couple of months ago Mama spotted a Great Horned Owl. It was scary!
ReplyDeleteCindi Lou & The Kitty Krew
HAWKS ! Thanks COD ! it's no HAWKS here !
ReplyDeleteAnd Yep ,I feel so good to know you all are safe indoor ! Especially Miss Salem : )
But if it's emergency " Call Me ! "
1. They only carry 10lbs Max, I'm 17.69 lbs.
2. My nickname is Mr. Poot...I can do " Gone with the wind " to them....tee..heh
and MOL...Even the HAWKS can't get away from pawparazzi
xox
We have red-tailed hawks here, too. Thankfully, they don't bother with the Gs or any other small dogs and cats here. I think the Swamp wildlife gives them plenty to satisfy them. And they leave leftovers for the turkey vultures, too, I think! Because we always have plenty of them. And our geese are back. Actually, we have lots of Big Birds!
ReplyDeletewow they are huge birds!Impressive pictures!hmmm I guess it's really better to stay safe inside home!
ReplyDeletepurrs
Luna - WE LOVE LUNA
*gulp*
ReplyDeleteAnd we thought our loud, rude Crows were scary.
Hawks... they stole half of my parents chickens.. we think it was coyotes that got her cats.. Yes, indoors is MUCH better!
ReplyDeleteWe are very glad you are safe from those hawks, although they are very beautiful!
ReplyDeletePurrs,
The Chans
Nice photos! We have hawks here, too. And bald eagles, which are huge. All in all, indoors is the safest place to be, for sure!
ReplyDeleteGosh - there are a lot of critters you kitties have to stay away from. I'm glad you are indoor kitties too!
ReplyDeletexo Catherine
Here it's the herring gulls that attack ... even humans!!! But we don't have hawks *shivers*
ReplyDeleteThey're magnificent, though! What a joy to be able to see them, presumably every day or near to it!
ReplyDeleteWe are glad you all are safe from those hawks. The biggest birds we get here are buzzards who mostly feed on carrion but will go after small mammals. The biggest predators are the various hawks,sparrowhawk, Kite and Kestrel, which catch the birds, occasionally even as big as seagulls.
ReplyDeleteThey look majestic but I really wish they'd be vegetarian :(
ReplyDeleteWe get hawks in our garden..we stare at them ..nar,nar, nar, nar,nar...can't get us!
ReplyDeleteThe REAL Maple Syrup Mob
xxxxxxxx
i don't think i'd ever leave the house again.
ReplyDeleteHawks are born to give stink eye! Great photos. They are sure impressive birds, to view from the inside. :-)
ReplyDeleteAnd...YOU COULD LOSE A EYE!!!
ReplyDeleteYikes! That is scary Bird-TV!!!
ReplyDeleteYikes! Those birds look ferocious! We're glad you kitties lie inside, too!
ReplyDeleteDon´t need to go to outside guys... those birds have a faces of few friends!
ReplyDeleteOur Mom said those red-tails are beautiful but we're glad to be inside too-the word for us is not beautiful but
ReplyDeletescarey!
We had a nest of hawks in the woods behind our home a couple of years ago. Fascinating but yes cats would not be safe outdoors. Thank Cod you all live indoors and so do Charlie and Mr. Toes!!
ReplyDeleteKittie hugs,
Linda
The huge owls are silent gliders and just as fearsome as hawks. We're glad the kitties stay inside and The Baby is closely supervised outside :)
ReplyDeleteDEER COD !!!!
ReplyDeleteif we dinna see felix's pick sure rite ther >>>> coz oh wear de blog post square whatcha call it write in box iz
we wooda sweared we wuz at de most werst horror mewvie ever made in de en tire histree oh mewvies
ask yur mom ta pleeez destroy de film footage ....it could leek parasites inta yur houz just frum de photo graffin of theeze stoooooooooooooooooooopid burds....
Egads!
ReplyDeleteLook at that menacing glare.
Glad you are all safe inside!
We are all inside only, too!
ReplyDeleteOur Mom volunteers at AWARE, a wild animal rescue and she said they get lots of hawks and owls. Seems people throw apple cores or other food out the car window, and mice come along to munch on it. A raptor sees the mouse and dives for it... not realizing it is on the side of a road, and meets a car. Raptor looses that one, and most times it's life.
Oops, didn't mean to preach, but we hear so much of it when she comes home, we thought we'd share!
Happy hawk watching to your Mom :)
~ The Bunch
Yes, thank cod you live indoors!
ReplyDeleteMeowm has a relative, who recently moved to a the osuthern part of AZ and she lets her kitties outside! Her 16 year old kitty ended up missing for several hours and when she returned she had hurt her leg. Meowm was appawled at the fact that any of the cats go out, but especially a 16 year old! Unfortunately she can't tell everyone how to take care of their animals and expect them to do it. We just purr that they don't meet a nasty ending.
Those hawks look pretty menacing. We are glad you stay indoors. We do too. We live on a very busy street with cars that drive much faster than they are supposed to. Our Mom doesn't want to risk our lives. Your Mom and Dad are pretty smart.
ReplyDeleteWe have hawks like those around here too. Dad takes pictures of them, and has shown us pictures of them eating squirrels and rats..
ReplyDeleteWe have one that hangs around our front yard that is as tall as we are long!
-- Zazou
Beautiful! We see hawks circling sometimes but only from far. The sight of humans keeps them at bay.
ReplyDeletebelieve it or not we have them here in Michigan as well. I have witnessed them carrying their "prey"...can't stand them. You are wise to stay in!
ReplyDeleteYeah, as Caren said above, we have those hawks in Michigan. In fact, we saw one just the other day...it swooped real low in our front yard and sat in our tree. The mom thought for sure it had spotted something on the ground it wanted, but it flew away. Those hawks can be so nasty!
ReplyDeleteHawks really are bad characters. They killed all our neighbor's pigeons and a bunch of his chickens. We have seen many a bunch of birds gang up on the hawks since they attack and take baby birds. Take care.
ReplyDeleteVishus hawks!!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat nature shots. TW thinks all cats with furever homes should stay indoors unless they have a Critter Condo.
ReplyDeleteWow! Au wants to know if hawk tastes like chikkun! The other two are more sensible and say it's best to stay indoors :-)
ReplyDeleteThose hawks are fun to watch, but I wouldn't want to go on a play date with them. I'll just stay inside, thank you. Where it's NOT 2 degrees. Yes, you read that right.
ReplyDelete; ) Katie
"LittleGuy," a/k/a "LG," is an orange guy with a gouge on his head from one of these things around here. Incredible he survived. Y'all stay inside, with those avian instruments of mass destruction around!
ReplyDeleteULP!
ReplyDeleteI have to admit my mom and her human kids live hawks. But they can't get me!
ReplyDeleteWe have red-tail hawks in the neighborhood. One has a nest that I can see from my window. Sometimes one sits on the balcony rail. Teddy is fascinated...safely behind the glass door. They are beautiful creatures but can be a problem for small furries.
ReplyDelete