Sunday’s Special Moment

Despite a relative lack of birds, Sunday’s walk at Belfair was a delight. It’s hunting season, and it’s impossible to ignore the duck hunters blasting away at the edge of the wetlands. Needless to say, as a result birds are easily spooked, and rightfully so. I try to avoid harassing them, even if that means not getting any closeups.

This was about as close as I could get to a small flock of Northern Pintail ducks without disturbing them.

Northern PIntails

There weren’t even many songbirds, though I did encounter a small flock of Purple Finches

Purple Finch

feeding on what’s left of last Fall’s berries.

The special moment of the morning took place just as a I was leaving when this Hawk flew straight down at the path at me and gracefully landed on a branch slightly above my head

Hawk

At first I was sure it was a Sharp-Shinned Hawk, but the more I read the less sure I am. It could also be a Cooper’s Hawk (maybe a sharp-eyed reader will be able to identify it more positively).

6 thoughts on “Sunday’s Special Moment”

  1. Thanks, John.
    The eye colors are quite different, and the tail on this bird seemed shorter, or, at least, different from that of a Cooper’s Hawk.

  2. You really have an extraordinary collection of bird photos now, Loren.

    The hawk photo is lovely, but I also like the Jay in the last batch.

  3. Thanks, Shelley.

    Are you still taking photographs? Putting them up on Flikr or anywhere else?

  4. Sharp-shinned. The Cooper’s markings arond the bill and eye are different. Note the yellow notch on the sharp-shinned?

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