For the Birds

We have had some fun bird activity in the back yard recently. It surprised the heck our of me when this sharp-shinned hawk landed on my bird bath for a drink. Then he hung out there for awhile checking things out. He came back the next day as well.

sharp-shinned hawk

While typically the goldfinches congregate at my finch feeder, they have found now found our coneflowers. Both the females and the males love to have a snack with those. Hopefully they won't beat the snot out of the flowers as they have done in the past.

goldfinches

Where the Wild Things Are

One of my favorite things about living here on Mountain Island Lake is the interesting wildlife we see in our backyard. While we certainly don't see the deer, wild turkeys and groundhogs as much as we did when we first moved in three plus years ago, there are still interesting critters that come by. 

We have had a lot of hawks hanging around. Hopefully they haven't eaten any more of the mourning doves, but I'm fine with them keeping the mice and squirrel populations in check. And they certainly are pretty predators.

hawk

juvenile hawk

Most days we see the white squirrel scampering around the yard. We named him Whitey Herzog after a winning St. Louis Cardinals baseball coach. It is still surprising to me that he manages to co-exist with the gray squirrels as I understand that squirrels are very territorial. Perhaps he is someone's grandpa and that's why he's accepted. I enjoy having him around as he is not one of the naughty ones who insist on climbing the pole to get to my bird feeder. 

white squirrel

"One touch of nature makes the whole world kin." ~William Shakespeare 

Hawk Eyes

Sharp-shinned Hawk

The other day we heard a loud bang on our sliding patio doors, and looked out to see feathers floating to the ground and a smear on the glass. When we walked out back, we saw a hawk up in the tree. We assumed it was the bird that hit the window as he sat very still on the limb. 

After a bit I went outside to wash the window, and I saw a mourning dove next to the patio doors. Its neck was bent at an unnatural angle, and it was not moving. It became clear that this was the bird that had hit the window. We assume the hawk was chasing the dove when the dove flew into the glass when trying to get away.

I asked my husband to dispose of the dead bird, and when he went out to pick it up he was startled by the hawk grabbing the dove off the pavers.  I guess the hawk was surprised as well since he ended up dropping the dove back to the ground. 

I know this is just the circle of life, but all I could think about is that some mourning dove will now be missing its partner since they normally mate for life. That made me a little sad.

Hawk vs Eagle

Yesterday we saw the most amazing thing out in the middle of Mountain Island Lake. I was looking out our back window when I saw a bird strike the water. I thought he was fishing at first, but then I noticed another bird circling over his head. Calling for my husband to grab his camera, I reached for mine and we hurried out into the back yard. 

I was stunned to see an eagle in the water, and a hawk diving at him from above. It appeared as though the eagle might be wounded as he did not try to take flight. Instead he used his wings like Michael Phelps doing the butterfly stroke across the lake. Periodically he had to flip back and ward off the hawk with his beak and talons. Eventually the hawk left, and the eagle drug himself out of the water onto the shore. But not before scaring two blue herons out of the water nearby. It was something to see for sure!

For the Birds

hawk

A couple weeks ago I glanced out the kitchen window to see a big bird sitting on the grass. Before I could grab my camera, it flew up into the tree with a bunny in its grasp. I wasn't sure what kind of bird it was, but using my telephoto lens I took a picture of it up in one of our trees. My husband identified the bird as a hawk. I have never seen one that close before. Two days later we let the dog, fresh from the groomer, out in the yard and he proceeded to rub his whole neck area in something terribly disgusting. My husband tried to wash him with a cloth, picking chunks of something out of his fur along the way. I threw Kirby in the sink for another bath, nearly gagging on the smell. I am guessing that he found the remains of the bunny somewhere in our yard. Fortunately it was a milder day and I was able to open all the windows and air out the house. I haven't seen the hawk or any bunny parts since that day.

But it reminded me of the time I went around the corner of our house with Kirby on a leash to go on our daily walk. I was startled by some rustling noise caused by a huge bird. Again, I had no idea what kind of bird it was, but I threw the dog in the house and grabbed my camera. The bird had a gangly walk, and made no attempt to fly. As I was chasing it through yards, my neighbors started coming out of their houses to see what I was doing. Soon it was like the Pied Piper, me following the bird and the neighbors following me. It was pretty comical! This went on for a couple of blocks before the bird tired of the game and flew over a fence to escape the entourage. Several people confirmed that it was a turkey! Since I have only seen the ones in the freezer compartment of the store, it was news to me. But it made for a great story, and the added benefit of making the acquaintance of some new neighbors.