Wednesday, August 10, 2011

visitor




I walked into the living room from the kitchen about 3 PM yesterday when I looked up and out the bay window at the birdbath to see this amazing beautiful creature looking back at me.


I've glimpsed it four or five times in the yard as it took flight out of one of the trees from my sudden appearance and banked low over the 13 acre field and disappeared into the tops of the trees on the far side.


This is the second time I have seen it in the birdbath. The first time, a couple of weeks ago, Marc called me quietly to come look but my slow movement into the room alerted it. It looked directly at me and then flew off.


The minute I saw it this time I froze and called quietly to Robin to quietly bring me my camera. I was standing about as far away from the window as I could be in that small room and shooting through the (dirty) window and screen. I had to use the largest magnification but at least I finally got some pictures of it.


It stayed for several more minutes, dipping it's head now and then to drink but as I tried to creep a little closer it spread it wings and flew off, chased now bravely by a crow that had been sitting in one of the overhead branches not being so brave as to try and chase it off from the birdbath like they do the smaller birds.

Can anyone identify this hawk for me? Red-tailed hawk? It's tail feathers are not really very reddish.


15 comments:

  1. red-shouldered hawk. he's a beauty!

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  2. Gorgeous! I think I might have some sort of accident on myself if I saw this in our bird bath!

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  3. How breathtaking Ellen. Thank you for sharing.

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  4. Don't know what it is, but it's beautiful...what a catch...lucky you...

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  5. Wow Wow!!! He's beautiful!! I would have freaked if I saw him in the bird bath and falling over myself to get to my camera. lol Wonderful share :)

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  6. He certainly is gorgeous. I know the feeling of having to shoot through dust covered windows and screens for fear of scaring off the subject. Happens to me all the time with deer shots.

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  7. I hope he wasn't hunting the little birds who use the bath...naah...he looks like he's just enjoying the water. Damn drought.

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  8. I was going to say that's a hawk isn't it? duh, I have no idea what kind but see them a lot around here (Oklahoma)

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  9. That's certainly an amazing sight to have.

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  10. He/she is gorgeous!! Definitely a treat for the eyes!!
    Hugs
    SueAnn

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  11. I love birds! I miss my yard and the birds that bathed in the bath I had there. Little creatures will be magical to me no matter how old I get :). The artist in you must just see beauty everywhere you look, Ellen!

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  13. Oh My! Very powerful & majestic!

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  14. What a beauty. Good for you for capturing these shots. I hope he left a feather for you. :)

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