Date: 7/3/25 12:37 pm From: Tom Hildebrandt <tomhildebrandt2012...> Subject: Re: [AZNMbirds] Birds are Prey
I just had to relocate a diamondback from a hollow at the base of my suet
feeder.
Tom
On Wed, Jul 2, 2025 at 7:15 PM Elizabeth Farquhar <liz.farquhar51...>
wrote:
> Really interesting. Will have to keep an eye out for this behavior …
>
> Elizabeth Farquhar
> Writer, Editor
>
>
>
> On Wed, Jul 2, 2025 at 4:51 PM Mike Judd <ebwilderae...> wrote:
>
>> Nice reports 🙏
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>> On Jul 2, 2025, at 3:59 PM, Marcia Lincoln <boahiss...> wrote:
>>
>>
>> I think birds play a regular part in the diet of Western Diamondbacks. In
>> my yard in Tucson, I have seen one eat a White-winged Dove, a Cactus Wren,
>> and one time one managed to squeeze into a pen that housed a bunch of
>> turkey poults and one was eaten. The snake was still in there and I
>> released it in another part of the yard. Little or no grasses would mean
>> fewer rodents, so they may be eating birds more regularly. It's been a
>> tough year for wildlife. We are finally getting rain here right now in NW
>> Tucson too, yay!
>>
>> Marcia
>>
>> On Wed, Jul 2, 2025 at 3:07 PM Alexander Hamilton <
>> <ispidina.picta...> wrote:
>>
>>> This is kind of random, but it may be of interest in a big-picture
>>> kind of way. I apparently have a resident diamondback that has taken
>>> up feasting on birds.
>>>
>>> I am used to various species of hawks, roadrunners, the rare shrike,
>>> and even “preying” mantis keeping the local bird populations in check,
>>> but I was surprised to see a diamondback grab one the other day.
>>>
>>> Five days ago, I saw that a Western Diamond-backed Rattlesnake, the
>>> first snake of the year for me, had gotten a House Finch. Okay, that’s
>>> sort of interesting. looks like it could be a juvenile so maybe not
>>> super predator aware.
>>>
>>> Then two days ago, it got a Blue Grosbeak. Okay, I’m a bit more
>>> surprised, maybe even a bit shocked.
>>>
>>> Then this morning it totally upped its game 5-fold, it nailed a
>>> White-winged Dove.
>>>
>>> There may not be any birds left around here by the end of next week! I
>>> mean, these are just incidents that I happened to catch.
>>>
>>> I’m in Madrean Grassland and there really aren’t any grasses anymore.
>>> This is the driest I have ever seen it, and it’s completely bare
>>> between all of the bushes and trees. With bird numbers dropping, herps
>>> and small mammals seem to be going in the same direction. There used
>>> to be resident Great Horned Owls that are now scarce and / or absent.
>>> In any case, while I know that diamondbacks eat birds, I can’t help
>>> but wonder how much this is a shift in diet versus opportunistic
>>> feeding.
>>>
>>> If anyone is interested, here are 3 checklists from the past 5 days
>>> that include photos of the diamondback.
>>>
>>> 27 Jun 2025: Diamondback with HOFI
>>> https://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/smbSC3YmkgfRozmE7IgfliQxiWY?<domain...> >>> <https://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/smbSC3YmkgfRozmE7IgfliQxiWY?<domain...> >>>
>>> 30 Jun 2025: Diamondback with BLGR
>>> https://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/BNAQC4WnljT7EKJvYcxhVi42Afv?<domain...> >>> <https://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/BNAQC4WnljT7EKJvYcxhVi42Afv?<domain...> >>>
>>> 2 Jul 2025: Diamondback with WWDO
>>> https://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/V6fYC5AomkfW3L0DgsyiZik4eCu?<domain...> >>> <https://url.usb.m.mimecastprotect.com/s/V6fYC5AomkfW3L0DgsyiZik4eCu?<domain...> >>>
>>> It’s raining now – finally – so that’s good.
>>>
>>> Cheers,
>>>
>>> Ron Batie
>>> Rio Rico, Arizona
>>>
>>
