I'm pretty sure this is a red-tailed hawk, a juvenile who is not quite a year old.
Even though it was sitting in a fairly exposed location, I only noticed it because of the ducks. The female in particular was making a lot of noise, quacking it up.
She was looking at something, not taking her eye off of it. Here's a look at my vantage point, from the bench that's next to the bananas:
The hawk is clearly visible above the pond and you can understand why the ducks were nervous, not leaving the relative safety of the water:
Always one of the pair was watching...
I never saw both of them with their heads angled up at the same time. One watched while one "relaxed" it seemed.
I got the impression that although the hawk might have been interested in the ducks to start with, it was scanning for rodents and other smaller prey.
The hawk must have been here earlier (before I got the camera) because the duck had been making noise all morning. While I was watching it switched trees -- boy, did that set off the quacking for a few seconds!
The hawk eventually flew off and things in the pond quieted down.
The next excitement was provided by a dove:
I don't understand how these birds can leave such a remarkable imprint on the window. Are they exceptionally powdery?
This has happened before, but this is a much better imprint. Look at the details that are visible!
It's like a fossil find, trying to identify the creature that left its mark this way. Unlike a fossil the bird did not have to die though, as we watched the dove fly off. I've never had a dove fatality due to a window crash -- is this because they're always flying slowly? (In the process of trying to land perhaps?)
Birds make a garden so exciting!
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Great pictures
ReplyDeleteI've seen a lot of hawks recently. They must be as ready for spring as everyone else.
Pay attention to the tilt of the ducks' heads in those photos. They're looking up at the hawk in every one. Glad we don't have eyes on the sides of our heads, it would be confusing!
ReplyDeleteWonderful photographs. We have been having a lot of hawks around here lately, not red tails. The ones I've been seeing are big hawks, but darker feathered than red tails and a bit narrower through the shoulders.
ReplyDeleteI've also been seeing small garter/garden snakes. One day I watched as one of the hawks swooped down into a neighbor's yard and left with a little snake dangling from its talons.
Maywyn: Or is it just that it's easier to see the hawks before all of the foliage has emerged?
ReplyDeleteSusie: Thank you! I'd LOVE to see some snakes in my garden. It's been years since I've seen one. I do have a lot of predators, so that may be the reason.
How exciting. One would imagine the hawk will return later to see if you have ducklings (aka hot wings) to offer later.
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