Kids Being Kids

There were a couple of hawks screeching and carrying on while I was out for a walk. I don’t think it was my presence causing the commotion, as I could hear them after I’d passed.

This juvenile Red-tailed Hawk wasn’t overly scared and let me get close enough to take this pic and below video -

Carrying on and taking flight 

Beautiful birds!

 

Hawk Walk

I took a different route on my walk yesterday to change things up a bit.  I made my way to Dacey Field, which is just up the road from me.  It's a pretty nice area with several ball fields, a swingset play area, dog park, frisbee disk course and walking trails.

Coming around a wooded path towards one of the ball fields, I spied a Red-Shoulder hawk perched atop the foul poll of the baseball field.

I was a bit surprised at how close I was able to get before it flew off AND equally as surprised at how well my iPhone camera captured the below pics -

I luv me birds of prey!

I saw several other perched hawks on the walk too but to far away to get good pics.

Camera Shy

I had a big, beautiful Red-Tailed hawk following me for a bit this morning.

Out of all the pictures I took trying to capture it, this is the best of the bunch, which isn't the greatest.  

He flew from the top of the flag pole, to one lamppost, then to the one pictured above.  Each time I stopped walking to take some pics the dude would fly off, as he's doing in the above pic. You can see he just stepped off and is taking flight.

Zoom Zoom Zoom

I spy, with my telephoto lens, a pair of Red-Tailed hawks perched atop a white pine tree way off in the distance -

* Ignore the date stamp on the pictures, they're incorrect.  I took these this past Saturday.

Mr. Cooper

This beautiful raptor stopped for a visit the other day, a Coopers Hawk!

Perched atop my pool shed and surveying the area, guessing she was looking for a meal.

Something caught her attention as she flew to a nearby tree and was intently focused -

Sitting Pretty!

Luv me a bird of prey!

I believe this is a Red-shouldered hawk.

This dude was perched out back in a boxelder tree, patiently waiting and looking for a bite to eat.  Always a welcome sight. Sure hope he was able to capture a critter from my yard, as I have too many, so one less would be okay by me.

Lincoln Street Roadkill Cafe

During my walk this morning I came across this hawk on the side of the road, just off the sidewalk.  He was taking advantage of and eating a roadkill opossum.  The opossum had been hit several days earlier and this dude smart enough to find it, which was now just off the road, and was filling his belly.

I will say it was VERY cool! I stood there watching him for close to 15-minutes and he didn't seem bothered one bit.

Click this link to see a 1-minute video I took of him eating.  It was too big to upload here, so I had to upload it to YouTube - 

Lincoln_Street_Hawk_Eating_A_Opossum

Hello Up There...

I was being watched on my walk the other day!  This hawk wasn't bothered by me in the slightest and except for an occasional glance, this dude had other things on his mind.

Seems like there are more and more hawks around these last couple of years.  Hoping, like the Bald Eagle, which have also been spotted here in our town of Franklin, they're making a come back. We sure could use the help controlling the scads of chipmunks, grey squirrels and rabbits, that seem to also be thirving...  

Stalker

I was being watched the other evening, as I made my way out to pickup the mail.

I love birds of prey, one of my favorites!

Camouflaged No More

With all the leaves down now, it's much easier to spot critters that might otherwise be camouflaged well. Like this impressive hawk.  Perched atop an old dead tree, perhaps looking for a rodent in the litter below.  Didn't seem to mind me walk up to it, as close as I was able, to take a pic.

A Soaring We Will Go

What's that off in the distance?!

Is it a bird?  A plane? Superman?

It's a Red-tailed Hawk taking a breather is all...

Not the greatest pictures, a tad too blurry and an old camera.

Highs and Lows...

Admittedly not the best photos, however, they're the better of the bunch taken. Also worth noting these pics were taken through our bay window.

A Red-tailed Hawk soaring over our house and being extremely boisterous too.  There's a pair always over head, which I think are nesting in the pine trees across the street.

Awsome!

And We're Off!

Here's a really cool picture of a Red-shouldered hawk in flight.  The hawk was sitting atop the bird house for the longest time, perhaps looking for a meal. Emilie was ready with the camera as it took flight. Notice it's shadow too in the foreground.

Buteo lineatus

There's SO much that takes place first thing in the morning.  Unfortunately, most sleep through it, or even too busy rushing, to notice.

I was fortunate to be looking out the window first thing, like I do every morning, and was treated to an arriving Red-shouldered hawk.

This hawk generally hunts from a perch, waiting for its prey to reveal itself and then swooping down to snatch it from the ground or water surface and this dude did just that!  He sat up in the Boxelder tree for over 15 minutes, patiently survey the area.  Then all of a sudden he dropped out of the tree and swooped to the ground.  He missed his initial capture but stood there stomping the ground trying to scare out whatever vermin that was hiding, to no avail.

He then flew atop a metal fence post, and once again, contently waited.  Not sure how long he would have sat there but something spooked him and off he went.

A handsome bird for sure, and a very vocal one too!!

Find The Critter

Can you find the critter in the below picture - 

Here's a close up of the critter -

Identification is tough but I believe this is a Sharp-shinned Hawk.   The Sharp-shinned hawk is similar to the Cooper's Hawk but regardless they're both beautiful accipiters.

The Circle of Life, Perhaps

While making my lunch this afternoon this hawk, perched atop a post in the backyard, caught my eye.  I quickly ran and grabbed the camera hoping to get a pic before she flew off.  What I witnessed next was Mother Nature and the circle of life at play.

 Clearly, something had her undivided attention.  She stayed motionless for what seemed like forever, then all of a sudden she hopped off the post and dropped straight down into the flower bed, talons first.  The noise that followed was the distinct, eerie, cry and screech of a rabbit in distress -

She slowly emerged from behind the chives, clearly a hold of something -

She tried to fly off but her spoils were too heavy and she only managed to move a couple four feet.  Again she tried, another four feet, this time making it atop the pile of leaves and grass clippings -

There she stayed, for close to twenty minutes, feeding on her lapine.  She was eventually driven off, with hare in tow, by a pair of nesting Common Grackles -

Mean while all I had to eat was a can of split pea soup...

Taking A Walk

Captured this hawk on his walkabout.

A very handsome boy - 

He has an eye on some little critter - 

I Spy With My Little Eye

Look up in the sky it's a bird.

Actually, it's in the tree.  A big beautiful and well hidden hawk.

Perched just over top of the chicken coop and chilling.  Perhaps, patiently waiting for a meal to scamper by.

Come again...