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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Fritz the Cat" data-source="post: 207381" data-attributes="member: 605">Raptors using trees to pick off unsuspecting birds? Yes and no. Mostly we have Swainson Hawks but they don't do much damage to pheasants unless they are young. Saw one trying to snatch a chick once and the pheasant hen attacked it. Red Tails will take a few.September is the month when hawks migrate through. When the pheasant population is high goshawks will stay into winter as long as they can eat off the food source. Saw a pheasant hen going all out with a goshawk on her ass. She dove straight down into a snowbank and when the goshawk pulled up to make another pass the hen flew out and made it the last 15 yards into a tree row. Back in 2006 when the pheasant population was high a Golden Eagle had about 35 pheasants hemmed into an old farm yard. When one would come out to feed she would hover on top of them slowly coming down. Unbelievable, they would sit tight and just let her land on them. It was colder than hell and she should have migrated south. Her chick sat on a telephone pole cross member everyday in that wind and cold. One day it was laying at the base of that pole frozen to death. If you put feed out for pheasants put it very close to trees. If you put it too far away, a raptor can pick them off before they can make it back to cover. Goshawks are acrobats.</blockquote>