While we were eating breakfast yesterday a bit of drama played out in our back yard. I like to face the windows to the back yard just so I can watch yard critters while I eat. My husband spotted a Cooper’s hawk sitting on our back fence…in the same spot I had seen it at dusk the day before. I got my camera and took a few photos through the one window without a screen (removed for just this purpose, to be able to focus my camera). A squirrel appeared moving along the back fence towards the hawk. I was about 45 feet away (that is what my husband’s range finder says) and just had my little Nikon Coolpix A900. But, I think I captured the scene.
Eastern Fox Squirrel approaching Cooper’s hawk on the Squirrel Highway
Squirrel Moving Closer to Hawk (see the tail behind the tree?)
Squirrel displaces Hawk
Hawk flies into nearby neighbor’s tree and then:
Hawk is back. It briefly spread both wings and it’s tail out, perhaps to look bigger. I didn’t get the shot before the wings closed back down. I think the squirrel was down in the bush behind fence at that point.
Squirrel is back!
Standoff!
Squirrel nonchalantly grooming it’s tail while hawk watches.
After this, the hawk flew to a side fence and then flew off out of the yard as another squirrel approached on a perpendicular squirrel highway. Blue jays had been squawking in the background but never got very close to the action.
Neither my husband or I had ever seen this kind of squirrel behavior before. Usually, when a hawk is around the squirrels are frozen against a tree trunk/branch or nowhere to be seen. The first batch of baby squirrels start being born in January and so maybe the squirrels are being more protective of the area? The squirrel was a male squirrel and so maybe just defending territory? The hawk is probably hanging around to get at the fat white winged doves that come to our feeder and may not prey on the squirrels. If the hawk attacked the squirrel I think both would give a good fight.
I had been hoping to come up with a fun political metaphor for this little drama we witnessed, but so far I have not.
I find much joy in observing small bits of interaction from the non humans around us. I hope some small joys of your choice come to you today and every day in 2025!
Natural Musings 
Worthy of a Sergio Leone film!
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Your comment gave me a good laugh out loud!
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You captured a great little drama. I suspect Hawk knows that unless it snatches Squirrel from above, with Squirrel’s claws and teeth facing away from Hawk, it could be in for an injurious battle. When I did a bit of squirrel rehab decades ago I was warned about how bad a squirrel bite could be. Just think of how powerful those jaws are and how sharp the teeth to be able to crack open acorns and similar food. Score one for Squirrel!
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Glad you enjoyed the post, Marcia! Yes, I was bitten by a mouse once and imagine a squirrel would do even more damage.
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so great you were able to record this scene … the word “cheeky” came to mind … especially appropriate for a rodent!
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“cheeky” is perfect!
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Nice catch, Betty! It is interesting to watch the interaction between these two creatures.
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Thanks Sue!
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Loved this post – as I love all of them! My metaphor: Hawk is a republican (you know who) The squirrel represents sane people. At first the squirrel is scared away, but then gets the courage to come back and the stand-off ensues. Happy ending: The evil hawk leaves the scene! Yay!!!
Hope all is well with you! All is fine here if you don’t count the deep-seated dread of the next four years.
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Thank you Trish! Great metaphor! And I like the happy ending to the story.
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So unusual! Well captured. So glad to see the squirrel stayed.
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Thank you! Yes, I was not sure what was going to happen and glad there was no blood shed and that the squirrel prevailed.
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Betty, what a wonderful series of photos; full of drama and suspense but without bloodshed or gore, thank goodness!
Sometimes I wish I were one of those people who travels the world looking at exotic birds but then remember, if I’m patient, lots of drama occurs in my own backyard, as it does in yours. And the sight of a sun-shined Cooper’s Hawk (or a cardinal) still takes my breath away, even after 80 years of seeing them.
Thank you so much for your musings.
Carol
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Thank you Carol! May you have many more great years of birding drama ahead!
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so smart to remove your screen for backyard photos! We have hawks and squirrels in our neighborhood too but never seen behavior like this. Great catch!
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Thank you Dee!
I just today looked up “Do Cooper’s Hawks Eat Squirrels” on the internet and apparently they do! So, don’t know what was going on…
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Wonderful story and photos. I was holding my breath to see what this encounter might lead to with the risk taking squirrel and the fearsome hawk. It reminded me of the fragile ceasefire and how I also hold my breath and hope for peace. Thank you!!
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Thank you Sarah! Love the metaphor.
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