Hawk
I was doing more cleanup in the front garden this weekend, and between wheelbarrow loads of spreading community pile mulch I saw a hawk land in the tree across the street.
Whenever I'm covered in garden dirt and debris and see a possible photo opportunity, I mentally weigh the advantages: what's the subject? How common is it? Is the lighting good? What are the chances that the opportunity will be gone by the time I remove my tightly-laced muddy boots to go inside, grab my camera, fit my long lens (vintage screw-on type) then get back outside?
In this case, the answer to all of them was "yes" and I managed to get several good shots of this immature Cooper's Hawk:
It appeared to be in mating mode, as it made several calls then would look around above it in the sky.
It was alone out there for several minutes before any other birds noticed it...
...but then the Blue Jays arrived.
The hawk had to relocate to a different tree which allowed me a new viewing angle...
...and then flew away after harassment reached the intolerable level.
It returned a few minutes later to the same tree though, as this is one of the highest spots in the area, a tall tree on the top of a hill.
I love bird watching when the trees are barren!
A little dose of Nature makes working in the garden even more enjoyable for me!
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A handsome bird! Don't they sometimes eat smaller birds? One would think that the other birds wouldn't want to be dinner but then I've seen crows harassing bald eagles. Glad that the light and the boot/lens ritual worked so that we could see this regal garden visitor too!
Hawks have a look like they own the kingdom. Great photos.
How lucky to spot him Alan, and he's a very regal looking bird!
I'm lucky I got a shot of it with its beak open! Those calls were unpredictable (and as far as I know unsuccessful at attracting a mate)
I'm always amazed to see the smaller birds chasing off the hawks. They have a pecking order that looks different than the one we would imagine, I guess!