This year is the first year, at least that I am aware of, that a pair of hawks has nested in Winterthur’s Pinetum during the decade or so that it has been under my care; the particular breed of hawk being the Cooper’s hawk. The females of the species are slightly larger than the size of a crow whereas the males are slightly smaller than one. These hawks have long, streamline bodies and are quick fliers.  They closely resemble the sharp-shinned hawk but the Cooper’s is the larger of the two species. Most references that I’ve come across have noted that the Cooper’s is far less common than the sharp-shinned as well.

This spring while I was working in the Pinetum, I noticed the pair building their nest about 40’-50’ up in one of the tall conifers. I believe that the nest was originally built by a pair of crows last season and the hawks simply added some new nesting material on top, which is commonly done. One of the reasons that I think that this may be the first time that a pair of Cooper’s has nested in the Pinetum is that they were surprisingly noisy! During their nest building phase the female would loiter close by in a tree and whenever the male would arrive from hunting, they would greet one another with some squawking. The noise was somewhat of a cross between a chicken’s cluck and a duck’s quack with perhaps a touch of seagull thrown in for good measure. I also observed the hawks gathering nesting material from within the Pinetum itself, sometimes even from the tree next to it. Interestingly, the pair did not seem to mind people walking within their nesting territory, for they were not easily startled or disturbed.

Another observation that I made was the fact that a pair of common crows set up house keeping in another conifer not more than 50’ from the Cooper’s nest. Crows normally pester the larger hawk species but the Cooper’s are fast enough that they were the ones that kept the crows on their toes, so-to-speak. Whenever one of the crows would leave its nest, one of the hawks would be right on its tail, chasing it out of the Pinetum. I noticed that the nesting pair of crows successfully raised at least one offspring though I did find the remains of another youngster close by, presumably a nest mate. I also found the remains of an adult earlier in the spring, possibly last years offspring, which often remain with the breeding pair, acting as centurions as well as helping with feeding the young.  I don’t know if the hawks were responsible for their demise but it’s certainly feasible.

Although I would see or hear the hawks from time to time in the Pinetum, I was never quite sure how their family matters were progressing. As I mentioned before, the crows had one offspring, which had been out of the nest and flying around for a quite a while already but I had no clear indications if the hawks were successful in raising their offspring. It wasn’t until the first week in July when I saw a youngster out on the end of a branch in the nesting tree that I realized that they had raised at least one. The following week I noticed, in fact, three youngsters, all perched in one of our Blue Atlas Cedars. They all seemed to be staying within the Pinetum for the time being, even flying back to the nest on occasion. I suspect that soon they will be venturing further out for they are flying around pretty well at this point. It will be interesting to see if the mating pair returns in the years ahead to raise another family in the Pinetum!

The groundhog saw his shadow, and the skies are gray today, but spring is on its way. I’m sure of it. As a child, I learned that the first sight of a robin meant that winter was over. I aim to see a robin by St. Patrick’s Day each year. Today, as I was walking near the Cottage, I saw a flock of robins in the large holly tree near its front door. There must have been at least ten or fifteen.

And this wasn’t the first time! Maggie Lidz alerted us that the winter jasmine was in bloom in early January. On Sunday, January 10, I decided to go for a look. It was a bright day, but very cold. I guessed I would be alone in the garden. But, no! As I walked up Garden Lane toward the 1750 House, I was amazed to see a flock of robins foraging near the path. I stopped counting at thirty-five. They were moving so fast, I was sure I was miscounting. The robins were a very welcome sight, as were the jasmine blossoms.

My knowledge of birds does not extend too much farther than enjoying their antics. I had always heard that robins settled in for the winter, deep in their forest homes, and only came out again when they were ready for warmer weather. I would be happy to hear comments from those who know more about their habits.

I saw the most amazing thing yesterday on the path behind the Museum Store; a pair of cardinals (mom & dad) teaching their baby chick how to fly. At first, after almost stepping on the baby birdie, I thought the babe had fallen out of its nest (or worse, been kicked out of the house) by its parents. But mom & dad made their presence known and were not too happy to see me so close to their offspring. That was when I figured out that I had stumbled onto something special and sweet. When I left them, the lesson was still going on and when I returned later the family was gone. Hopefully they headed to the beach which is where I’m going!

Winterthur provides many suitable nesting environments for the birds that spend their breeding season in this region.

Learn which birds call Winterthur “home” and where you may expect to find them nesting. Horticulturist Jim Pirhalla leads this walk through the Winterthur Garden.