Young birds of prey, including sharp-shinned hawks and potentially Cooper's hawks, may hunt small rodents like squirrels. Sharp-shinned hawks typically eat small songbirds, but juveniles may expand their diet when hungry. Bathing behaviors are common, and hawks may use sprinklers to cool off. Opossums usually do not kill skunks; however, one opossum was observed returning each night after dragging a dead baby skunk near a home, indicating ongoing interest in the animal for unknown reasons.
When a young bird of prey is learning to hunt, few things are off the menu. A typical diet of a sharp-shinned hawk is 90 percent small songbirds, but the rest includes small rodents.
A hungry juvenile might try to go after squirrels, or it could be that your bird actually is a Cooper's hawk. They hunt medium-sized birds and rodents, so squirrels are definitely on their menu.
Hawks prefer baths, but will use a sprinkler as a quick way to cool off in the heat.
Opossums really don't kill skunks. However, one individual returned each night looking carefully for the skunk.
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