I held my arm out at this bird, after it sat there, squawking at me, and I swear it flew away immediately. It does not trust people. I tried to step closer toward it for a better picture, it looked at me, let out a cry, and flew away.
Hawks used by falconers wild up very quickly after release. Heck, every falconer has had their bird act similar to what you described here after messing up a free flight. It’s probably just a hawk that has acclimated to people though. It would be really rare to find a released bird.
Maybe it used to belong to a falconer?
I held my arm out at this bird, after it sat there, squawking at me, and I swear it flew away immediately. It does not trust people. I tried to step closer toward it for a better picture, it looked at me, let out a cry, and flew away.
Given that it followed you, I wonder if it thought you might scare up some dinner for it.
I have one that hangs around my backyard when I’m out there, especially when I’m mowing.
I’ve always wondered if the mower scared field mice into moving, make them easier for the hawk to track/hunt.
Good point! I didn’t think of that. When I run laps in the afternoon, it probably does scare the field mice around the driveway.
Hawks used by falconers wild up very quickly after release. Heck, every falconer has had their bird act similar to what you described here after messing up a free flight. It’s probably just a hawk that has acclimated to people though. It would be really rare to find a released bird.
That would make one really cool pet, if it was.