Red Car Canyon: Cooper's Hawks Taking On Great Horned Owl

Photo: Diane Edwardson, June 11, 2016.  This morning, two Cooper's Hawks were harassing the Great Horned Owl who hangs out in the same pine tree on a regular basis in Red Car Canyon.  Naturally they were all in a densely wooded area.  This was the best shot.

The Cooper's Hawks, which are highly maneuverable forest  hawks, were were using timber bamboo, taking turns flying toward the owl in and out of the more brightly lit bamboo toward the owl who never moved from the tree.  Neighbors and I  witnessed the Cooper's Hawks harass the owl several times in recent years, caught it on camera twice.  All manner of birds from Red Tail Hawks to hummingbirds are known to harass Great Horned Owls, the apex avian predator.

I couldn't get a clear shot of the owl nor the hawks.  I had to give up after 10 minutes because I'd already spent too much time with an earlier Red Shouldered Hawk encounter between Adelbert cut through and India Street on the Red Car Property.

See all related posts: 
Cooper's Hawk
Great Horned Owl

Red Car Canyon: Cooper's Hawk VS Owl 2015

Photo: Diane Edwardson, November 16, 2015, 12:22 PM.  While walking through Red Car Canyon Monday,  I heard two unusual sounding birds calling in an alarmed manner, high in the pine trees.  It took me a while to find the first one.  It was a Cooper's Hawk.  Long horizontal striped tail feathers, with rounded ends were the giveaway.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Photo: Diane Edwardson, November 16, 2015.  I heard two Cooper's Hawks calling and directing anger at something between them, in the middle of a bunch of dense branches. However, I could only see one adult Cooper's Hawk.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, November 16, 2015.  The hawk had been hopping from branch to branch, flapping its wings in  threatening manner, making itself big, calling intermittently before settling on one branch in the shade of the tree trunk.  

Hiding in the shade of a tree trunk is a smart technique I've seen hawks use when hunting.  They are hard to see (and photograph) because their prey can't easily see the hawk as they're blinded by the sun behind the tree.  (I know I was blinded by the sun.  I just shoot on instinct in these situations.)

The hawk kept looking over her shoulder, in the direction of Lake View Ave.  Last week and just the day before, two different neighbors sent photos of a Cooper's Hawk on Lake View and behind Rose Scharlin Nursery School.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, November 16, 2015.  Finally, I found the target of the Cooper's Hawk's wrath, a Great Horned Owl.

Unfortunately, I could not get a clear shot of the owl.  Last week, the Lake View neighbor said he'd recently heard owls in the canyon on his walks.  He also thought the Cooper's Hawks had a nest nearby.

Great Horned Owls are the apex predators of the sky, so other birds tend to gang up on them.  This is not the first time we've seen a Cooper's Hawk take on a Great Horned Owl in Red Car Canyon.  The owl just ignored the hawk.  Great Horned Owls are known to sleep in the canyon in the daytime.  If you don't hear birds at all in the canyon - look up - there's usually a hawk or an owl hanging around.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, November 16, 2015.  After almost a half hour of observing the drama, which was already in progress when I arrived, the Cooper's Hawk called up to Lake View.  This is the last shot I got before she took off in that direction.  The dense trees, Cooper's Hawks preferred habitat, prevented me from seeing where she went.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, November 18, 2015.  I forgot to get a wide shot on the same day as the standoff since I'd been blinded by the sun.  So here are the trees the owl and hawk were in.  Arrows point to their approximate location - they are not in this photo.  It's the same clump of trees where we first documented a Great Horned Owl in the canyon.

Cornell Lab of Ornithology has great info, photos and audio:
Cooper's Hawks
Great Horned Owls

Lake View Ave: Juvenile Cooper's Hawk

Photo: Gary Macheel, November 9, 2015.  Monday morning, a young Cooper's Hawk paid a visit to Macheel's yard. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

When Macheel sent me this photo, I immediately knew I'd seen a similar raptor near the Silver Lake Ave Public Staircase and the Red Car Property a few months ago.  I've often seen Cooper's Hawks flying north on Lake View, then take a left at Macheel's house, disappearing in the trees on the steep slope between Lake View and Silver Ridge.

Red Car Canyon between Lake View Ave  and Corralitas Drive is prime Cooper's Hawk territory.  Cooper's Hawk's are forest dwelling hawks that have adapted well to the urban forest on Silver Lake and Echo Park.  They like to hunt in the dense trees and have remarkable maneuvering ability. 

Additionally, be on the lookout for Great Horned Owls.  Macheel said he and his wife "saw it on our morning walk two days ago...gliding above us...white underbelly and wings."

Click here for all our Cooper's Hawk posts. 

Learn more about Cooper's Hawks: Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Red Car Property: Cooper's Hawk

Photo: Diane Edwardson, July 10, 2015.  I followed the sounds of pissed off mockingbirds to a Cooper's Hawk in the big Eucalyptus between India and Silver Lake Ave Public Staircase.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Photo: Diane Edwardson, July 10, 2015.  The image quality is not great.  I so rarely catch photos of Cooper's Hawks, that I have to publish them when I can.  

I suspect it's a juvenile Cooper's Hawk since it doesn't have well developed chest muscles.  And adults usually don't take crap from 6 mockingbirds at the same time.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, July 10, 2015.  The lighting and tree conditions were so tough to work with but this was such a great shot of its talons that I had to use it. 

Look for Cooper's Hawks hunting for birds in the corridor between Riverside Place and Silver Ridge and the Silver Lake Ave and Roselin Public Staircases. They prefer heavily wooded areas like Red Car Canyon and the steep slope between Silver Ridge and Lake View. 

Learn more about Cooper's Hawks: Cornell Lab of Ornithology
 

Roselin Public Staircase: First Cooper's Hawk Photo of 2015

Photo: Diane Edwardson, May 17, 2015.  The Cooper's Hawk has a long horizontally striped tail, small head and beak.  They are a "forest hawk," flying through the dense trees to hunt birds as their primary prey.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

While walking the Red Car Property near India St, I heard the annoyed, dive-bombing calls of mockingbirds threatening a predator.  I watched to see where they were focused and saw a hawk way up in a tree near the top of the Roselin Public Staircase.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, May 17, 2015.  Red arrow is pointing to the Cooper's Hawk in the tree. When I shot these photos, I had no idea it was a Cooper's Hawk.  I thought it was a Red Tailed Hawk, because it seemed kind of large for a Cooper's.  However, we do have some large Cooper's Hawks around the Red Car Property.

I've often heard Cooper's Hawks in the dense trees at the top of Roselin.  I've also seen them raiding birds' nests on Riverside Place, then retreating up to the trees on Roselin. 

Photo: Diane Edwardson, May 17, 2015. I only noticed it was a Cooper's Hawk while I editing the day's photos.  Cooper's Hawks are not yet endangered, but their presence triggers extra environmental review and mitigations in development applications under CEQA. 

Click here for all our Cooper's Hawk posts.  

Learn more about Cooper's Hawks: Cornell Lab of Ornithology 
 

Corralitas Drive: Cooper's Hawk Hunting In Eucalyptus Tree

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 18, 2014.  Around 4:30 pm something caught my eye jumping & flapping between the densely overgrown branches of the Eucalyptus out back.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

It was a very small (maybe 12" tall) Cooper's Hawk. It was stalking a flock of little chirpy birds who make the rounds of my yard in the late afternoon.  The bird hunter was so focused it didn't care that I stepped outside to take photos of it just 20' away. 

Lacking a larger format camera, my photos don't compare to the awesome Cooper's Hawk photos shot a few months ago by Jonathan Vandiveer.  Cooper's Hawks are one of my White Whales; they always seem to show up when I don't have a camera in hand. 

Cooper's Hawks get special consideration during environmental review under CEQA for development projects. 

Red Car Canyon Adjacent: Cooper's Hawk

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, May 29, 2014.  Cooper's Hawks nest in Red Car Canyon and hunt in Vandiveer's yard. (Click on photos to enlarge.)  

Only the day before, Vandiveer was mourning the loss of another Mourning Dove to a Cooper's Hawk.  The doves hang out on the power lines above his patio, the Cooper's Hawks catch & eat the doves, leaving feathers and remnants on his tarp & patio.

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, May 29, 2014.  Dubbed "Cooper Criminal," Vandiveer wrote,

"Here's the little murderer. Caught him hunting our populous lizards and snakes along both sides of our fence line.  Hey dude! Stick to doves please those lizards eat our flies!"  

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, May 29, 2014.  It is very rare to get the opportunity to take so many photographs of the elusive Red Car Property Cooper's Hawks.  Lately, I've been hearing their distinctive calls way up in the trees where Red Car Canyon opens into the meadow at the south end of the Red Car Property.  Learn more about Cooper's Hawks & listen to their calls: Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Photo: Jonathan Vandiveer, May 29, 2014.  While Cooper's Hawks may be common in other parts of the country, in California & Los Angeles, their numbers are dwindling.  Their presence merits special attention under CEQA, when development applications come under environmental review by City Planning.  Since Cooper's Hawks are forest dwelling, Red Car Canyon with its steep slopes and tall trees is ideal habitat for them. 

So if you live on Lake View Ave, Riverside Place, India, Roselin, Corralitas Drive or Silver Ridge Ave & any type of hawk frequents your backyard, take photos & send them to us (in .jpg format please) with time, date & as much behavior information you can add: redcarproperty@gmail.com. 

Corralitas Drive: Hawkwatch 2014

Photo: Esteban Gonzalez, February 5, 2014.  Gonzalez was fortunate to capture photos of "2 awesome hawks outside my balcony. The one on the post is obviously having lunch."  Lunch certainly look like the Red Tails are dining on squirrel.

Indeed, we've seen similar behavior in our resident Red Tailed Hawks at the same time, last year.  It's hard to tell from the cell phone photo, but it may well be an adult feeding one of last year's brood, who is not yet adept at catching squirrels. 

Nesting season began February 1. At a 2 Freeway Terminus meeting last year, CalTrans publicly stated, they will not work within 1000' of nesting raptors.  We'll see how that works out when they start on the sound walls on the 2 Freeway.   

Be on the lookout for Red Tails flying to & from Corralitas & the Semi Tropic Spiritualists' Tract & their nest on Allesandro & Rosebud. They'll be calling to each other a lot soon. 

Cooper's Hawks tend to mate & nest in the area around Riverside Place & Red Car Canyon.  I almost always see Cooper's Hawks near the historic landmark How House on Silver Ridge. 

Red Shouldered Hawks nest on the northern end of the Red Car Property near Adelbert.

Kestrels were making a comeback, seen on Corralitas & the meadow area of the Red Car Property. 

Red Car Canyon: 25' Tree Branch Falls, Adding To Fire Danger *Updated

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 7, 2013.  A 25-foot long Eucalyptus tree branch fell in Red Car Canyon, sometime between Thursday & Saturday mornings.  (Click on photos to enlarge.) 

It is adjacent to the long since fallen, now dead, Eucalyptus tree* & palm tree in dire need of thinning of dead palm fronds.  Further upslope, there are several dense Eucalyptus trees towering above the palm tree, also in need of trimming, as they are looking dry too. 

However, care needs to be taken when thinning out the dead palm fronds and dense trees as they do provide habitat for Great Horned Owls & Cooper's Hawks, as well as other urban wildlife like skunks, opossums, raccoons, coyotes.  Earlier this year, a neighbor called me to document a Cooper's Hawk harassing a Great Horned Owl in this canyon.  After a good 20 minutes, the owl finally sought refuge in the dark, dense branches between the palm tree & Eucalyptus.

Red Car Canyon is the only part of the Red Car Property where both predators are routinely seen & heard by neighbors (usually not at the same time).

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 9, 2013.  The LAFD Brush Clearance Red Tag Notice is dated September 4, 2013.

Eucalyptus throughout the neighborhood are dying & creating a fire hazard.  The LAFD Brush Clearance Unit noticed the Red Car Property owner to clear this lot (APN 5440-030-033) of dead trees, dry brush & debris last week.  Neighbors on both the Lake View Ave & Corralitas Drive sides of Red Car Canyon are very concerned about these conditions.  City Council District 13 Deputy Adam Bass has been notified of the problem & is working on solutions for this & other ongoing issues on the Red Car Property.

* 9-19-13, UPDATE: The long since dead Eucalyptus went down in January 2010.

Corralitas Drive: Cooper's Hawk Hounded By Mockingbird

Photo: Diane Edwardson, August 12, 6:49PM.  I was sitting near a window when a hawk followed by a noisy mockingbird flew past and into my neighbor's Eucalyptus.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

Since I'd followed a Cooper's Hawk being harassed by a mockingbird around my yard at 7 AM, the same day, I grabbed my camera while texting my neighbor Gary, who would have a prime view of the action. 

In the waning light I could see the horizontal tail stripes.  It was a large Cooper's Hawk, just like this morning, probably the same bird.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, August 12, 2013, 6:49PM.  Body language says so much.

Mockingbirds must not taste very good, because I've never seen any of the hawks they harass, kill them.  Cooper's Hawks specialize in hunting birds in wooded areas, so I really love this second photo.  It's like the hawk's thinking, "Anytime I want to..."

Unfortunately, Cooper's Hawks are notoriously camera shy (unlike our Red Tails).  It flew up & over Gary's house toward Red Car Canyon (where another neighbor reports seeing a Cooper's Hawk in the dense trees regularly),  with the mockingbird dive bombing & screaming right along side.

Click here for all our Cooper's Hawk posts.
Learn more about Cooper's Hawks: Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Editor's note: My take on wildlife photos is shoot photos first, worry about image quality later, especially if it's something you don't see everyday, like a Cooper's Hawk. I've only ever gotten one good Cooper's Hawk photo because they are so elusive. 

Red Car Canyon: Cooper's Hawk Takes On Great Horned Owl

Photo: Diane Edwardson, June 22, 2013.  Got a call from a neighbor that a hawk was harassing a Great Horned Owl in Red Car Canyon; grabbed my camera & ran down the street.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)  

The neighbor had seen owls in the twilight & at night in the canyon, but not at 11 AM. The hawk had been screeching at & chasing the owl for about 5 minutes before I got there.   

Photo: Diane Edwardson, June 22, 2013.  We surmised by the hawk's striped tail, small head & distinctive call, & the fact that it didn't hesitate to fly into the dense trees and bamboo, that it was a Cooper's Hawk.  The hawk was flapping its wings and making short threatening flights toward the owl, when they weren't in a stand-off, staring at each other.  In fact, I'd never seen a Cooper's Hawk so puffed up, making itself look like a much larger bird.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, June 22, 2013.  The owl mostly seemed annoyed by the hawk (note the small head & gray back - Cooper's Hawk).  The owl eventually flew into some very dense trees about 100' south in the canyon (near the sewer outlet).   The hawk continued its chase, into the dense trees.  We lost site of it, but continued to hear the hawk calling.  

The Canyon Neighbor sees Cooper's Hawks flying in & out of the trees in the canyon fairly often, including this dense thicket.  He said mockingbirds are usually harassing the Cooper's Hawks.  Cooper's Hawks are a forest dwelling hawk that prey on other birds.  They often stalk prey at neighbors' bird baths. 

Unlike Russell Bates, who lives a bit further up from the canyon, Canyon Neighbor has never seen birds take on owls.  It must be a territorial issue.  Clearly Red Car Canyon is daytime territory for the Cooper's Hawk.  It's likely she has a nest nearby.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, June 22, 2013.  Why are these photos so bad?  Shooting with a point & shoot into the dense trees in dappled light is asking a lot.  If you look really closely, you can see both birds in this wide shot.  You can also appreciate the flying skills of the hawk to be on the attack in such a dangerously branched tree.  Where the owl took refuge next, was so dark you could not even see into the blackness.  The hawk followed & continued its assault, though mostly from the edge of the daylight.

Cornell Lab of Ornithology has lots of info:
Great Horned Owls
Cooper's Hawks

Send us your Red Car Neighborhood wildlife encounter photos with a description of when, where & what the animals were doing at the time: redcarproperty@gmail.com.

Silver Ridge Ave: Cooper's Hawk Mocking Me

Photo: Diane Edwardson, April 28, 2013, 5:45 PM.  Yep, that's a Cooper's Hawk.  How do I know?  It knows I only have a cell phone with which to take photos, not a real camera.  Cooper's Hawks are my white whale.  If I've got a camera, they don't show.  (Clicking on photo won't help much.)

Every time I walk Silver Ridge near the (City of Los Angeles Historic Landmark) How House, I hear a Coopers' Hawk distinctive call and a flurry of flapping, as Mourning Doves fly in many directions to confuse the predator who feeds primarily on birds.  I always seem to see the mid-sized hawks sitting atop the telephone poles there. 

The hawk had a small head, long tail with horizontal black & white stripes.  I couldn't get any shots when it took off flying into the dense oak trees nearby, before returning to the top of one of the telephone poles. 

Click here for all our Cooper's Hawk related posts.

Learn more about Cooper's Hawks: Cornell Lab of Ornithology


   

Red Car Property: eBirding Weekend, The Great Backyard Bird Count, February 15-18

Photo: Diane Edwardson, Red-Shouldered Hawks tend to hang out at the northern end of the Red Car Property, near Adelbert & the historic viaduct footings.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

To further participation in the Great Backyard Bird Count, Feb 15-18,  Cornell Lab of Ornithology is offering their eBird App for iPhone & Android for $.99. (Normally it's $9.99.) 

Photo: Diane Edwardson, Red Tailed Hawks are everywhere.  They're the largest hawks in the neighborhood, and we've got some exceptionally large Red Tails.

 

I sometimes get questions about what birds are in the neighborhood.  I only know raptors.  These are the big 3 raptors in the Red Car Property neighborhood. 

Photo: Diane Edwrdson.  Cooper's Hawks are the smallest and most elusive of the three hawks, and have wide black & white horizontally stripped tails, visible from below.  I saw a Cooper's Hawk up on Silver Ridge late Sunday afternoon.

 

So if you're an avid bird watcher or an amateur wanting to learn more about birds in our neighborhood, download the ebird app & start birding.  

Corralitas Drive: Young Cooper's Hawk?

Photo: Diane Edwardson, July 17, 2012, 2:46 PM.  What appears to be a Cooper's Hawk was harassed by Mockingbirds all day yesterday.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)

For years, I've been unable to get a good photo of the elusive Cooper's Hawks in the Red Car Property neighborhood.  Tuesday, I got tons of photos in my own backyard.

Just before 10 AM, a neighbor and I witnessed a small hawk chased through my yard and into a Eucalyptus by a gang of Mockingbirds, hummingbirds, Cedar Waxwings and a variety of other small birds.  It took us about 10 minutes to locate the hawk in the tree, despite all the birds taking turns dive bombing it.  Even one of the Red Tailed Hawks made a few low, slow circles around the tree.

For the rest of the day, the harassment continued in various trees in my yard and my neighbors' yards.  

Photo: Diane Edwardson, July 17, 2012, 10:47 AM.  I'm speculating it's a young Cooper's Hawk because it was the right size and had a horizontally striped tail.  I think it's a recently fledged bird, since none of the other birds had any fear of it.  Cooper's Hawks hunt birds.

I even ran into the same bird around 5:30 PM.  It was sitting on top of the telephone pole at the top of the Corralitas Public Staircase.  Of course, I had no camera with me.  It eventually flew to Red Car Canyon, which is prime Cooper's Hawk territory.

Each time I saw it today, I had more than enough time to go inside, grab my camera and shoot dozens of frames before it either flew to another tree or I got bored shooting.  This has never happened to me before with the elusive Cooper's Hawks.  It was an extraordinary experience.

Read more about Cooper's Hawks: Cornell Lab of Ornithology

Red Car Canyon: Elusive Cooper's Hawk

Photo: Diane Edwardson, July 28, 9:44 AM.  This is the best I could do with a point & shoot camera.  (Click on photo to enlarge.) 

When you hear the sound of angry Mockingbirds that seems to never end, check out the victim of their harassment.  Right now, it could be a hawk. That's how I found this Cooper's Hawk high up in a pine tree in Red Car Canyon.  

Cooper's Hawks hunt birds, so I was surprised to see the Mockingbirds harassing it so vehemently.  The Mockingbirds were way more angry at this hawk than they are at the Red Tails.  The hawk seemed to be waiting for a parent to return with food; behavior we've seen daily with the Red Tails.

I believe it's a Cooper's Hawk because they are known to hang out in Red Car Canyon.  It has a small head, long striped tail and and is significantly smaller than the Red Tailed Hawks. 

Presence of Cooper's Hawks triggers a higher level of environmental review in development applications.  They have additional protections under CEQA.  Cooper's Hawks are year-round residents of the Red Car Property. 

Red Car Property neighbors at the Holyland Exhibition, report hawks swooping down and catching birds at their birdbath.  The most likely culprit?  Cooper's Hawks. 

Learn more about Cooper's Hawks on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's website.

Yesterday, I observed at least 3 species of hawks on the Red Car Property, check back tomorrow for the third.  Send us your hawk photos from the Red Car Property neighborhood: redcarproperty@gmail.com. 

Red Car Property: Hawkwatch, They're Everywhere Today

Photo: Diane Edwardson, July 28, 2011, 9:24 AM.  I caught sight of a mid-sized, grayish colored hawk, that was definitely not a Red Tail, calling for breakfast near the Adelbert All-Weather Lounge on the Red Car Property.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

In the past, I've seen Red Shouldered Hawks in the area between the Adelbert All-Weather Lounge and the Historic Viaduct Footings.   

Photo: Diane Edwardson, July 28, 9:25 AM.  The hawk was not as large as a Red Tail, but had a larger head than a Cooper's Hawk, with a fairly short tail.  (Click on photo to enlarge.)

The hawk looked just like the one that was flying under the stream of water from my neighbor's garden hose, a couple weeks ago.  I'm leaning toward Red Shouldered Hawk on this ID. 

Learn more about Red Shouldered Hawks on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's website.

This morning, I observed at least 3 species of hawks on the Red Car Property.  All seemed to be juvenile hawks calling to be fed.  Their constant companions; Mockingbirds.  Check back over the next few days for the other hawk species.

Send us your hawk photos from the Red Car Property neighborhood: redcarproperty@gmail.com. 

Corralitas Drive: Cooper's Hawk Sighting

Photo: Diane Edwardson, June 26, 2010, 6:37 PM. Cooper's Hawk on high voltage wires above 2590 Corralitas Drive. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

Yes, it's a poor quality photo, but Cooper's Hawks rarely present me with a good photo op. Saturday evening, I was walking down Corralitas, when a small hawk was trying to find a foothold on the power lines. It was flapping and really having a hard time balancing. I was able to catch one quick shot before a van in need of a muffler drove by, scaring the hawk off. It flew off unsteadily toward a tree in the backyard of 2642 Corralitas.

The hawk was larger than a Kestrel and a lot smaller than a Red Tail Hawk. It had very long legs, small head and horizontal black stripes on the underside of its long tail. Neighbors of Red Car Canyon report regularly seeing small hawks flying among the trees.

Cooper's Hawks hunt birds in forested areas. Last year, a Riverside Place neighbor watched one of these hawks pick a dove off the power lines outside his house. Another Riverside Place neighbor reported seeing Cooper's Hawks mating in the Eucalyptus trees in his backyard.

It may also be a Sharp Shinned Hawk, the two species are very similar. Learn more about both hawks on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's website.
Cooper's Hawks and Sharp Shinned Hawks are protected species in California. If you capture photos of hawks or other wildlife in the Red Car Neighborhood, send them to us, with details of your encounter: redcarproperty@gmail.com. Do not attempt to feed or pet wildlife.

Red Car Property: Elusive Hawks

Photo: Diane Edwardson, July 28, 2009. Hawk on Red Car Property near Adelbert.

There have been many reports of hawks in the neighborhood this summer, and not just the usual Red Tail Hawk sightings. Neighbors have been frustrated in their efforts to get good photos of this year's hawks. (Thus, the poor quality photos we're posting here will have to suffice for now.)

On several occasions a young Red Shouldered Hawk has been seen circling above the Viaduct Footings and flying between the trees on the Adelbert end of the Red Car Property. If you have home on Lake View above Adelbert, there may be a nest in the trees up there.

Photo: Diane Edwardson, May 30, 2009. Small hawk on Red Car Property at Rose Scharlin Preschool.

Since the end of May, several neighbors reported seeing a hawk slowly flying as low as 6 feet above the ground between India and Red Car Canyon, just south of Rose Scharlin Preschool. Unfortunately, the above photo is the only one we've gotten so far.

It looks like a gigantic Kestrel. Yet it's still a smaller hawk with golden feathers on it's chest; blue gray feathers on its back; large vertical black stripes on its tail and very long legs. It may be a Cooper's Hawk or a Sharp Shinned Hawk. Both are bird-eating raptors who like wooded areas. According to a neighbor who is also a LA Zookeeper, Cooper's Hawks are known to hang out in the canyon area. There are lots of Mourning Doves (prey) in Red Car Canyon.

Two neighbors report seeing the hawk literally fly past their heads (in several different incidents) at the top of the Corralitas Public Staircase. It's also been seen flying between the trees in the canyon area between Silver Ridge and Corralitas. The mockingbirds often chase it between the trees.

On August 3rd, a Riverside Place neighbor wrote, "I keep seeing your bird (I think) it's a smaller sized bird of prey. Very pretty, it's very elusive though. I run in for the camera and it's gone. Saturday I saw it take a dove and was sitting on a power line with it only about 20' away in full view!"

UPDATE: Will Campbell has a fantastic photo of a Cooper's Hawk, with prey, on his blog from just a few weeks ago shot in his Silver Lake neighborhood south of Sunset.

If you have neighborhood hawk or wildlife photos, send them to us: redcarproperty@gmail.com. Do not attempt to feed or touch wildlife.