I was the one who was being spied on!
A Cooper’s Hawk was keeping his eyes on me.
I moved slowly toward him to see how close I could get.
Hawk just looked at me as if to say, “Nice of you to bait those traps for me, lady!”
No, not traps to catch hawks. Traps, a.k.a. bird feeders, to lure backyard birds into the hawk’s hunting grounds …. my yard!
Hawk decided he didn’t like my approach and flew into the neighbor’s crab apple tree. He continued to spy on me as I filled the heated bird bath with fresh water.
Making note of the traps being fully loaded, Hawk flew away staying close to the ground and disappeared in the nearby trees.
I could almost hear him say, “I’ll be back!“
The joy of observing birds from afar, through your window, or by entering their private world.
A few weeks ago I got my first look at a sparrow hawk up close, in that it was perched on the side of a raised bed where among others sparrows feed on the seed we throw out! Great but a bit nerve-wracking all at the same time…. Great post. Linda
They say you are a true birder when you can witness nature taking its course and not get upset by it. I guess I’m a true birder now. I don’t like when the hawks come to grab a little bird that I’ve invited to my yard to feed, but that is nature.
I heard that Cooper Hawks dive in to get their prey and break their breast bone on the hunt when navigating thru branches/trees. X-rays have shown their bones with scars. Not sure if this is 100% true, but I heard it from a friend. Great picture.
I never heard that about Cooper’s Hawks. Interesting. I’ll have to see what I can find out. These hawks do have a difficult time navigating through the branches of some trees. Thanks for stopping in.
Love the photo, and the blog, too. I just read it for the first time, and I have just subscribed to it. Thank you for visiting my blog, too. And Happy New Year.
Happy New Year to you, Bob! I love your photos. Thanks for stopping in.
Love this photo!!! He really does think he’s the one in charge!
When all is quiet around the feeders, I know he is nearby … and certainly the one in charge.
I hear hawks around my back yard, and see one every so often… but it is interesting to see how the different birds keep watch right before they grab a few seeds or suet.. their heads swivel every which way to make sure the coast is clear.