Nothing visible through the windows these early mornings. Condensation on the outside where the humidity is so high, and the glass so cold on the inside due to the A/C pumping out . . . . . Bob likes it really chilly indoors, me not so much.
Later in the day our newest winged visitor to the garden is very visible and
not welcome!
This is a juvenile Red-tailed hawk, extremely common just about everywhere, circling overhead, sitting on telephone poles and fence posts, hanging about in the tall oaks ready to grab a rodent, especially a squirrel. Sadly, they also take rabbits, and I've not seen my baby bunny for a couple of days!
Here you see it looking up into the fig tree - later it was staring me down from a branch of the fig tree, seemingly oblivious that I was a human and just a couple of feet away with a camera in hand. I'm not sure who was the most surprised at that close encounter!
It's also flying onto our roof a lot - here you can see it's a youngster as it has yet to develop red tail feathers, and the breast is still speckled all over. Although this raptor does not take a lot of birds according to what I read, we did see it swoop down under our feeder and fly off with a small one busily nibbling on the ground, probably a finch. Yes, I know that's nature but I was angry, very angry!
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I can't deal with it Mary. I chase them off when they come around. I've been know to fly outside in my house-coat with a broom. lol I want this to be a safe zone and it tears me up if something gets taken. Some would say silly...I don't care. Beautiful photos, Mary, As always.
ReplyDeleteDearest Mary,
ReplyDeleteLiving so close to Nature is at times very CRUEL!
I've been angry too, when I saw some 40 little ducklings disappear and being taken by big turtles, by hawks. I've had to let go in the end as there is very little we can actually do in preventing this.
Sure, that one year when I patrolled around 6:00 AM when the mama duck would come from the creek to our pond, with her babies in tow. I've killed... https://mariettesbacktobasics.blogspot.com/2021/08/protecting-ducklings-dinner-for-uncle.html
But all that I've let go over the years!
Hugs,
Mariette
Wonderful photos of the Red-tailed hawk Mary - it is one thing for me to catch photos of my stationary green visitor but to get these good images of such a large rapidly moving bird is quite a different achievement. I do hope that your little bunny is safe and that it is simply hiding - fingers crossedX
ReplyDeleteThe hawk is beautiful, and he or she does only what it needs to do in order to survive... hawks can not digest plant food, so they depend on smaller animals for their food, as you know of course.
ReplyDeleteAnd I know exactly what you mean - knowing that this is nature does not stop us from getting angry and sad when we witness any animal killing another one for food.
Yes, that's what birds of prey do, whether we approve or not. You did extremely well to get such intimate shots of the bird.
ReplyDeleteJust beautiful photos Mary! Wow!
ReplyDeleteTitti
Amazing photos. I know it is hard to watch birds of prey, but you are right, it is nature.
ReplyDeleteThose are really terrific photos of the hawk. What a beauty!
ReplyDeleteLovely photos of the hawk, we have around our neighbourhood also. They swoop down and get chipmunks which our in back garden.
ReplyDeleteAs you say, nature, sad but true.
Oh dear, I don't like the look in the eye of this bird, but the photos are great. It really doesn't look big enough to take a rabbit, but that is nature. We have kookaburras which take and eat snakes. I hope baby bunny is safe in a burrow somewhere. x
ReplyDeleteAll part of nature’s pattern unfortunately. I do love to see birds of prey in the garden but, as you know, quite a rare sight in the U.K. we do have hawks ( one was sitting in our conservatory roof a while ago ) and red kites. Beautiful photographs. XXXX
ReplyDeleteNature can be very harsh at times. We watched a bald eagle tear apart a blue heron a couple of years ago, and I've not liked eagles nearly as much since then. These are great photos, Mary.
ReplyDelete