Nana, is That a Cat?~

~ December 21... First day of Winter and day of my birth. Whenever we arrive at our birth date again, that alone is reason to celebrate ~

For the past couple of days, it appears that I may have been slightly missing in action, not completely though, for I have enjoyed scanning some of my favorite, old and new blogs...such fun too.
This morning, I traveled further out into the country to snatch up 2 of our 4 grandsons,  and my youngest daughter. It was our annual Christmas cookie baking day.
I had collected the boys and we were driving through my favorite section of horse country, when 8 year old Thomas announced...
"Nana, is that a cat?" 
No, not a cat, but a large Red-tailed Hawk protecting a raod kill of fresh Cottontail Rabbit~

The field on the opposite side of the lane was enchanting following a morning rain~

The hawk took a couple of breaks while we observed it from a distance~

The spring and summer colours may have been spent, yet the autumn grasses look amazing in the starkness of winter's chill, arriving officially at midnight tonight~

The boys enjoyed the lessons they were learning on this outing, though we all felt sad for the Cottontail...~

A handsome horse watched us, watching the hawks~

A younger looking Red-tailed remained on the fence, some distance from the carcass~

Urban Hunter, Hunting, Hunted and Captured~

Urban Hunter, Hunting and Hunted, Finally Captured~



Don't' you just love some of the titles that we give to our posts?


OK, let me explain mine.


Urban hunter, this gorgeous Red-tailed Hawk does not live out in the country, but in the big city of Louisville, KY. Yesterday while doing some shopping in town, I saw this beauty flying and landing at a couple of locations and then asked the husby to circle round the block, for I was just certain that it had to have landed in a tree.


We parked the car and Bill saw where it had perched before I had and he motioned me where to locate it. The hawk was perched on a tree branch that overhung the paved walking path.


I kept the camera in front of my face to avoid any eye contact. Bill judged me to be no more than 10 to 15 feet away from the hawk the whole time that I photographed it and it seemed undaunted by my presence and in fact after way too many images taken it got into a position that I recognized right away. The beauty was on the hunt and had spotted something.


It flew into a small patch of green and caught itself a little gray field mouse.

To my continued good fortune, it then flew back to the same tree and I was thrilled...


My friends have told me about these urban hunters before, yet I had never had the pleasure of viewing them.


Bill had actually parked his motorcycle under where one perched a few months back...can you imagine, he drove his motorcycle right underneath it, and it never budged.

Have a blessed week, always stay on the safe side, and be well~

 

Birds of Prey and Autumn Colours on Tingsgrove~

In these selections, it may appear at first that I have duplicated images, and yet in each collage, no two images are the same.  I just enjoy taking many images, then going back and choosing my favorites, and well... sometimes, I just cannot decide, so I use the top few of  each group...  The Red-shouldered Hawks are most prevalant on our two acres and yet we also get the occasional Red-tailed Hawk, which is always grand.  The Turkey Vultures, well...they come and go daily it seems, roosting for a spell in our trees, before taking off for something to eat, which thankfully, is not often found on the grove. I hope that your day in your world is as beautiful as our day is going to be.  A sunny 75'  autumn day and I can hardly wait to get out in it before the cold rains come the next couple of days.  Cheers~

Surprise Between 8,530 & 11,120' Above Sea Level~

We raced to get to Glacier National Park before the "Going to the Sun Road closed for some serious road improvements.  Almost as soon as we had arrived, of course...the rains came. I was really bummed, but still had my window partially down just in case. Then when we reached one of the highest points in the park, a road crew person with a bright yellow rain gear on said that we needed to pull over behind the cars in front of us, to allow the heavy equipment people to being in their rigs , in preparation for the road work which would begin the next morning, when they closed this main road for the season. It was raining hard, we were already just about to plunge off of the rim of the mountain, well it seemed like it and they wanted us to move closer to the edge. Bill obliged, while I was having heart failure, well maybe not, but I could have... It was after he put the car in park, that I took a peek outside my window...and there it was. The most amazingly gorgeous bird, just perched there, as though it had been placed there just to make me feel better, and it did too.



I want to thank my friend Pete Gustas for nailing down the ID of this beauty. An immature dark/rufous Red-tailed Hawk. Pete said that it may get even darker after it molts. It was such a beautiful rich colouration and I was happy, happy. This may also be an intergrade bird, meaning... " Intergrades between Western and “Harlan’s” Red-tailed Hawks, which sometimes interbreed where their ranges overlap in Alaska and Canada.


It turned out to be a marvelous day after all;)

 It