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