Monday, January 10, 2011

Birding in the Neighborhood

After several days of rain, the sky cleared and we took our cameras to do some birding in the nearby woodlands.
 As soon as we stepped onto the path, this red-shouldered hawk took off, no time for me to ready a shot.  Was this the way the afternoon would go?
 We stopped to listen.  There were plenty of birds but they were hiding.  Many acorn woodpeckers were in the canopy but showed themselves too briefly or far away for a good shot.  We stood for a while and listened to the frogs and the birds and then went on.
 There!  Something moved in a nearby shrub.  It was a juvenile White-Crowned Sparrow.  He posed nicely for a portrait.
 This little guy was perched to high for me to see the markings on his wings and crown.  After much study I decided he is a Say's Phoebe.
 Then I found this Flicker perched on a fence post.  It turned out not to be such a bad day after all, but the best was waiting at home.
 On the neighbors roof, there was a hawk.
 He posed so patiently that I got a shot of his back and tail as well.  It helped me to identify him as a juvenile Coopers Hawk.  They don't get their gray back and head until they mature.  If you are bothered by how a hawk earns his living you can skip the last photo.
The following afternoon a neighbor knocked on my door saying "grab your camera!"
I took a few quick shots from a distance and left him in peace with his meal.  I went back an hour later and took this shot.  He seemed to say, "now what do I do".  The following day there was no trace of hawk or pigeon.  I think he carried it off to eat, it may have been too public just a few feet from the sidewalk.

See more views of our world at That's My World, Tuesday, hosted for us by Klaus, Sandy, Wren, and Sylvia.



Find more Birds at World Bird Wednesday, hosted by Springman at the Pine River Review

34 comments:

Linda Reeder said...

I love going on birding walks, even virtual ones like this. Great pics!

Sylvia K said...

Always love your birding photos as they allow me to see so many lovely birds "up close and personal" in a way I'm not able to see them here in my world! Marvelous captures, Martha, as always! Thanks for sharing!!

Sylvia

Unknown said...

Grand hawk photos. Gary & Boom of the Vermilon River.

Paulie said...

What a great birding adventure! You are so knowledgeable.

Dina said...

Great catch on the hawk and his meal. I can never seem to catch them eating anything. And you're right, he has that "I don't know what to do." look on his face.

Carver said...

I think you got some great shots. Sometimes I have to just enjoy the birds and stop trying to photograph them when they are too fast for me. You got a good mix here.

Jim said...

Great captures.

Kay L. Davies said...

I agree with Sylvia. I'm no sort of a birder at all, so it is such fun to go along with you on your walks. (I don't walk well, either, so this is perfect.)
-- K

Kay, Alberta, Canada
An Unfittie's Guide to Adventurous Travel

Joe Todd said...

Love those photos. P.S. A Roadtrek would be my #1 choice if possible

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Your world is amazing; so are your pctures and descriptions. LOvely birding experience; ;thanks for sharing it.

SandyCarlson said...

You captured some great photos, my friend. Thank you.

Barb said...

Hi Martha, What started out slow turned into a real fest of birds! Your hawk photos are great - nice to be able to get so close.

Anonymous said...

Wonderful shots - we have a small hawk that sits on the wire overlooking pasture but have not been able to get a shot of him.

Anonymous said...

I'm glad your walk turned out so well, for you and for us.

I understand the food chain, but I don't always like to see it in action. I like hawks, and dead pigeons come with the territory, so there you are.

Unknown said...

What a great walk. I love raptors and photographing them as well. You've done quite well here!

I also read about Michael - my thoughts are with your family as you work to make his life as rewarding as possible. I'm a middle school science teacher ans I am currently teaching about chromosome disorders - Michael will have place in my class in the next few days. Thanks a ton for sharing!

Gaelyn said...

Well you certainly did have a great day birding. And the hawk shots are spectacular. The youngster looks a little confused.

Anonymous said...

You saw a variety of birds in your neighborhood; nice pictures.

holdingmoments said...

Love the shot of the Flicker. Such a beauty.
And good catch of the hawk and lunch.

mick said...

A good description of your bird walk and the problems the bird photographer often has! The photos of the Hawk are great.

theconstantwalker said...

Beautiful images. thanks for sharing.

Springman said...

It is good food for my soul to read about and see the pictures of a great day outdoors like yours. Such high drama in your neighborhood! The detective work on your hawk was excellent. I am puzzling over a hawk that I photographed last week. The Audubon Society has a guide dedicated to hawks and I'm thinking of getting that. Great post! ;-)WBW

eileeninmd said...

Sounds like a nice birding day, martha! The Hawk photos are awesome. I would love the see the Acorn woodie someday. Thanks for stopping by my blog. Have a great week what's left of it.

Ryan Ankeny said...

Love that little juvie White-crowned Sparrow. I've been seeing more of those guys than usual lately.

Sondra said...

What fruitful outting you had! I love all your photos...that acron woodpecker would blow my socks off for sure...and the hawk shots are terrific...

EG CameraGirl said...

Sounds like you had a great day out birding!

Empty Nester said...

Wow, you got some amazing shots! My favorite is the flicker.

Kristin said...

What a great outdoor adventure. Lovely set of photos you have there. These birds are such beautiful creatures.

Sally in WA said...

Great shots, Martha. That hawk is so handsome. I liked the flicker as well. Glad you had a good birding outing.

The Giraffe Head Tree said...

Fabulous day!!! Hawks can have all the pigeons they wish. Beautiful hawk and great bird pics!

jeanlivingsimple said...

Goodness...what a grand birding day! Great capture of the Hawk...with dinner.

La Vie Quotidienne said...

You are so fortunate to be able to experience such lovely places. The picture of all of these wonderful creatures are amazing. Thank you, and thank you also for visiting me and leaving such a nice comment.

Larry said...

What a great birding day in the neighborhood Martha! You got some great shots of all the birds too.

The immature Cooper's Hawk on the roof and with the pigeon are excellent. He did look a bit confused but it looks like he has no problem hunting!

giorno26 ¸¸.•*¨*•. said...

Grandi foto in piena libertà !!!
Buona serata.
Myriam :)

Sharodindu said...

beautiful bird photography :)
great work