I love the discussions, this is what Nafex is all about.

The high school I teach at has a resident flock of wild pigeons nesting on the roof and drain gutters. One day a male coopers grabbed one outside my window on the sidewalk, and we watched them fight it out for several minutes before the coop finally won and hauled it about 15 feet under some bushes. It was all that coopers could do to hang on while the pigeon flipped them over again and again, half the time the hawk was on the bottom.

I know in a hawking scenario the falconer would be right there to decide the winner, but sharpie legs and toes are so thin and spindly it seems an unnecessary risk to me, especially considering the unlimited field sparrows and starlings around.