L'G4 MICHIGAN BIRD LIFE. 



in almost all our books of reference to the little falcon, or Kestrel, which 

 is almost equally common, but which feeds much more commonly upon 

 insects and mice than upon sparrows. 



The present species, the Sharp-shinned Hawk, is one of the few really 

 injurious hawks which is common in Michigan. It prefers feathered game 

 to anything else and creates havoc among the bird population of our fields 

 and forests during its presence with us. During migration it is generally 

 distributed over the state, but passes northward for the nesting season, 

 so that it is seldom found in southern Michigan after the first of June. It 

 nests usually in evergreen trees — pines, spruces, tamaracks, or cedars, 

 building a rather compact nest of sticks and twigs and laying from two to 

 five heavily blotched eggs, which average 1.47 by 1.16 inches. It has been 

 reported nesting from many counties in the southern part of the state, 

 but it seems tolerably certain that in most, if not all, these cases Cooper's 

 Hawk was mistaken for the present species. 



We know of but two instances in which the eggs have been taken in the 

 state, and for these we are indebted to Mr. Edward Arnold of Battle Creek 

 He reports a nest with four eggs taken near Port Huron, St. Clair county, 

 May 26, 1899, the nest being placed twelve feet up in a cedar tree. Another 

 nest, with two eggs, was taken May 22, 1901, from a cedar tree, also in St. 

 Clair county. While these are the only actual records of nesting known 

 to us, the bird has been found during the nesting season at several points 

 in the northern part of the state; by Major Boies on Neebish Island, St. 

 Mary's River; by O. B. Warren in Marquette county, 1898; and by the 

 writer at Gaylord, Otsego county, and Grayling, Crawford county, in June, 

 1902, and on Beaver Island, Charlevoix county, in Jul}^ 1904. 



While this species closely resembles Cooper's Hawk in flight, general 

 appearance, and character of nesting, the eggs are heavily spotted, while 

 those of Cooper's Hawk are never heavily spotted, and usually are plain 

 bluish white without any spots at all. 



Among 159 stomachs reported upon by Dr. Fisher, 6 contained poultry 

 or game birds; 99, other birds; 6, mice; 5, insects; and 52 were empty. It 

 appears, therefore, that out of 107 stomachs which contained food 99 

 contained remains of wild birds while only 6 contained mice (Hawks and 

 Owls of the U. S., 1892, 35-37). These figures should be compared with 

 those relating to other hawks, and especially to the owls. 



The Sharp-shin is by no means a noisy hawk, except perhaps when its 

 nest is threatened. At such times its shrill notes justify the description 

 given by a farmer who said they were always "squealing" when he went 

 near their nest. One writer says their call is a clear chee-up. chee-up, 

 while another compares it to the cac, cac, cac of the Flicker, and says "it 

 is exactly like that of the Cooper's Hawk, except perhaps a little shriller 

 and not quite so loud" (Bendire, Life Hist. I. 188). 



This is one of the species which frequently migrates in large scattered 

 flocks, especially in autumn. Mr. P. A. Taverner observed such a flight 

 in the autumn of 1905 at Point Pelee, Ont., about 20 miles east of Detroit. 

 He writes: "There were Sharp-shins everwhere — sweeping about through 

 the woods, beating about just over the tree tops; higher, working up and 

 down the line of trees along the shore [Lake Erie], and still farther up, 

 as high as one could see them, were still hawks. Standing in a small open- 

 ing in the brush where I could look out over a field I counted 25 and I judged 

 there were but an average number for the day in sight then." This flight 



