Eagles & Hawks-How do I get rid of them?

[Cindyluwho]

For the last 3 days or so I have a family of Eagles (2adults, 3 youngens) and a young hawk cruising around my yard. The are fascinated, to say the least, with my chickens. Thankfully my gals are locked up tight in their aviary/run and safe from these guys but it's creepy. At one point one of them was sitting in the plum tree that grows over the coop and just staring at my babies! I was almost, almost tempted to shoot the darned thing. There is no way my Chihuahua can go outside at this point. We've been on the lake here for 2+ years and this is the worst it's been. Anyone have any ideas on how to scare them off?

 

[Michie]

What kind of eagle?

They do kill mice and such.


Yikes!! Your dog is little!!

 

[Cindyluwho]

Bald Eagles! Giant Bald Eagles. I swear, they seem to be as big as my black lab! ChootChoots, my chihuahua, is only 4 lbs so she's definately just a snack for those giant birds.

 

[Michie]

Are Bald Eagles still protected?

 

[kimmikayb]

The joke around here with our chihuahua is the eagles will pick her up and fly off but only as far as the chain!!

Seriously, bald eages are federally protected and you would be in a lot of trouble if you even attempted to shoot at them. I'm surprised they are that far south still, they usually come north when the weather gets warm. Some hawk species are protected also. If I were you, I'd contact the conservation office and try to find out a way to scare them away from your coop. Around here our big dogs keep the birds away from our chihuahua.

Bald eages are fancinating and it's a miracle we have them as they nearly became extint.

 

[andromedaslove]

I completely understand what you mean. My mom has turkeys and chickens that free roam her yard, and whenever they have babies the hawks come in and snatch them one by one. She has tried keeping them in the coop but then some "mysterious" stalker kills them and leaves no traces except for feathers behind. Her land has turned into a hunting ground for these animals, so much so that she is afraid to let her two little dogs out, for fear the hawks will come snatch them up. I have sat there and watched a hawk circling above her silky terrier before, it's just terrifying. I wish I had some advice, but we haven't figured it out yet ourselves. I just wanted you to know you weren't alone.

Dana

 

[Mad4Mickey]

rubber snakes : ) For some reason it scares them . We used to have tons of birds in our trees and had one hawk that seemed to watch our littlw dog : ( I cant remember who told me about the rubber snakes but since we put them in the tree and on the top of the roof no more birds. Keeps the area around our in ground pool "poop free"

 

[roger_ramjet]

So long as the chickens are locked up and the dog is inside, you'll be fine. They are predators so naturally they'll be on the lookout for any target, especially one that seems stationary. Take the right precautions and you'll have no reason to be worried. Remember that they've been in the area for a long time and are used to treating the region as their own hunting ground. Scaring them away probably belongs in the too-hard basket.

 

[marydmjj]

What lake are you on?

 

[pumba]

Our Eagles in maine stay here year round and they are just beautiful. I understand about the little doggie though.

we have four nesting couples in our area. But they go to the lakes and rivers to eat the fish. Seeing them catch fish like in the movies is totally awesome.

 

[Planogirl]

Bald eagles are just incredible. I know that it's spooky because of your dog but still.

Contact the local park service or some other such entity for advice on how to frighten them away. It might be too late this year though but maybe there's something you can do to keep them from roosting so close next year.

 

[nwdisgal]

I think Washington State University has a program that deals with wildlife, including protected species. You should check with them too. They could probably direct you to the right resource and I think they even have community resources available.

 

[Cindyluwho]

They have their nest at the far end of the lake and it is awesome to see them grabbing fish from the lake. I just wish I could figure out how to keep them from being so interested in my chickens We're on Lake Burien, it's about the same size as Green Lake but is all private with no public access. We're very lucky, it is listed as one of the healthiest lakes in the area and everyone on the lake takes great care to keep it that way. It does get frustrating though, you'd think that living here in the city we wouldn't have the problems with coyotes, raccoons, foxes, eagles, etc. Growing up in the country I expected those things, I guess I was naive to think they don't have those critters in the city

 

[nwdisgal]

My parents live just south of you, and they've had bald eagles in their woods. That is a pretty area that you are in.

Yes, the Northwest has all kinds of critters. We used to have drills at school for the kids about what to do if you run into a cougar or bear, which is common in some parts there.

Keep your doggie inside.