unlicensed duck hunter on the ranch?

Just last week I heard a woodpecker raising cane on my back porch. As I opened the door I observed a large hawk with a woodpecker pinned down on the porch. When I stepped out, the hawk went one way and a slightly defeathered woodpecker went the other. Didn't get a good enough look at the hawk to tell what kind it was. I guess the hawk was using my bird feeder as a game baiting station.

I can't identify that duck Mike, but I can't identify much beyond a mallard anyway!

My hometown area has seen a mouse population explosion. Don't know how biology of different critters works either, but I've never seen so many hawks of different kinds, and coyote population too, this past Christmas. Makes me wonder how nature times it all.

Where is your ranch, looks like it could be a Steller's eider but it's a coastal bird not an inland bird.

Looks like a dead duck to me.

Zeke

The ranch is in North Texas, Grump - just out of Jacksboro.

MikeG said:

Made you look, Tom

Driving around the ranch, saw a red-tailed hawk on the ground near one of the ponds. They aren't on the ground much so, investigating showed it was lunchtime.... and the duck was the unlucky guest. Anybody know what kind? I'm not much on ducks and have no idea. Photo quality isn't much, but it was with a phone.

Interestingly, found the same type of feathers near one of my blinds. Would guess the hawk landed on top of it and ate (didn't think to look at the time).

I guess hawks gotta eat too.....

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Mike, you are a turkey!
Anyway, w/o a head, hard to tell, but a lot of the female ducks look alike.
Could be either Gadwald, Widgeon, Mallard, Bluebill ,Golden eye ,Ruddy,
Pintail, Red Head, Canvasback, Bufflehead, etc...
Next time, take the duck away from the hawk sooner, so we can see what it is!

Shawn Crea said:

I can't identify that duck Mike, but I can't identify much beyond a mallard anyway!

My hometown area has seen a mouse population explosion. Don't know how biology of different critters works either, but I've never seen so many hawks of different kinds, and coyote population too, this past Christmas. Makes me wonder how nature times it all.

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Just keep the environmentalists out of it Shawn.
Nature finds a way doesn't it?
This past year, we have seen some different birds that we haven't seen before. Big grey hawk looking birds that travel in groups of 8-10. Come to find out, my Audobon books says that they are Kites. They soar around at high altitudes, and feed on small animals and a lot of carrion.
My brain makes me think that all of these Texas hunters are killing pigs as fast as they can and the coyotes can't clean them up fast enough so nature takes over.
Anyway, it makes sense to me.