Video: a new visitor
It is always funny to me how seemingly stunned hawks look to find nobody at the scene yet hearing all the scolding from the trees. At first I thought this young Cooper’s Hawk would take a bath, but nope. It has been very dry here, so maybe it will come back for more. Such a beautiful bird. (I know the lens is dirty, there are birds bathing all day and I go out to clean it with vinegar constantly.)
In recent days,
a Cooper’s Hawk has been hanging around, trying to find some prey in the yard. The lack of foliage on the trees makes it easier for him to spot birds that are trying to hide, but most of the time, the hawk is out of luck and the birds disperse in time. Yesterday, he took a seat on the camera, and then this fun photo came about. It is a good example to learn one of the features of the Cooper’s Hawk - its rounded tail feathers and the broad white tail tip.
A longtime lurker
finally got lucky last night and had Starling for dinner. It took him a good two hours to get it done and finished. This is the Cooper’s hawk that has been hanging around. I let him finish it, and by the end, also birds and squirrels had come back. I always find it fascinating to see a bird of prey come down here. They are such majestic creatures, and while it might be cruel to watch, I am in the camp of “they gotta eat too”. There are enough Starlings around, and we got about half a foot of snow over night, so at least the hawk had a good meal before that. Photos are not superb, it was getting dark and I used my Canon, looking out my office window.
Video: Shake your tail feather!
It's Friday, and even the birds are ready to shake their tail feather 😁 The Cooper's Hawk was back again today, checking out the bird bath to see if there's a catch to have. He has come twice yesterday, and at some point, the birds actually came back to eat and he just sat there, waiting for his chance. Once he got going, everybody successfully escaped. His plumage marks him as an immature, so maybe he just needs more practice. Such a pretty bird! Come good into the weekend.
Video: A new pond visitor
I love it when a new bird comes and the pond cam lens is clean. (I run out all the time to wipe it but sometimes my timing is off. It's a good workout in this weather 😁)
I am thinking immature Cooper's. Never had any other ones here and it feels like the legs and overall size are bigger than a Sharp-shinned.
Things are a bit quiet here
at the moment, and I wonder if this guy has anything to do with it. This is a Cooper’s Hawk, and he is way too big for the house he chose. Now that the trees have lost many of their leaves, they have an easier time to watch the feeding stations. Have a wonderful Friday!
Slomo video: An unsuccessful hunter
This morning, a Cooper’s Hawk tried his luck in the yard. He got a MoDo’s feathers but was not successful, as the video revealed when I slowed it down. These guys are so fast, it is amazing to watch them.
