The End of the Cold Bare Season Ending~

Memes...I belong to two of them and it is such a great way to reach out and become friends with like-minded individuals.  Every week, we all gather up what we want to share, and some deliver even more posts, as I did in my first couple of years, per week.  I try to have a couple of drafts set up and waiting, just in case...life! Once posted, it may take me a couple of days to visit other blogs and make comments.  I try to do my very best at this and in using my very slow to use laptop.  For every blog visit, and then the jumping to comment and then getting it relayed, may for me, take a couple of minutes and so if I miss you one week, I will hopefully catch you the next, and I so appreciate your understanding hearts.

I don't know about you all, who live in changing climates, but we bid a big farewell to Winter and the bareness it brings.  Sometimes there are surprises.  You just have to be looking for it,  when the quiet takes over your walk and they are watching you ;)  Winter season is not all bad,  in that being a birder and  nature photographer, you can see the birds and other wildlife, a whole lot better when the green canopy is missing. As I write, the colours of Spring that were formed last Autumn, are starting to unfurl.  Spring rains have brought about some flooding to our land, as well as strong winds produced our first tornado warnings, and yet, the brown tones of Winter are slowly fading, and being turned into beautiful shades of green and rich colours are returning, along with longer, warmer days.

I am so ready... are you?
My father-in-law, so many memories flowing in my thoughts...he always enjoyed when I shared my blog with him.  He just could never grasp how it all worked together, but he knew that he enjoyed it.  I miss him so!

Have a wonderful week, stay safe~

Remember to double click on the first image, to view a larger slide show presentation after you have read the narratives~

I will be linking up with Judith for:

www.lavendercottagegardening.com

Mosaic Monday

&

Stewart for:

   http://paying-ready-attention-gallery.blogspot.com.au/

Wild Bird Wednesday

When I I usually see Vultures soaring, they are on the hunt for food, but this particular morning, these two seemed to be caught up in a flight ballet of sorts~ 

A Red-tailed Hawk, gorgeous birds, so many different variations, but one of the main ways of telling it is a Red-tailed other than the really dark morphed, especially in young juveniles, whose tails are not yet red, is the belly band pattern of feathers.

I paced myself and walked quietly through this small herd of White-tailed Deer.  Because I held my camera up to my face, they never saw my eyes, and I was able to take these images and walk along and not disturb them, and they never even knew that I was aware that they were right there ;)

A juvenile Red-Shouldered Hawk~

It appears that this Coyote has had a past injury that healed nicely, and I am thinking this is a pregnant female.  They are considered vermin around her and many a farmer kill them on site and are allowed to do so~

I only got one capture of the wee Golden Crowned Kinglet, as they hardly rest while flitting about, looking for food~

The Dark-eyed Juncos, one of my favorite Winter visitors, have thinned out and soon, I will not see them until late Autumn~

One Sunday morning, a few weeks ago, I watched as the European Starlings went into a murmuration flight, just amazing~

I forget if I already shared this sweet little bird.  This was the only image that I got.  Not sure which species of Sparrow it is, but it was so pretty~

A Few Close-ups From Last Post~

Adding a few close-up images of my post from yesterday.  A few of them were kind of tiny.  Have a very wonderful and safe weekend~

The female Red-shouldered Hawk returning to her nest after another battle of wills against the Great Horned Owl~

Crows chasing the Great Horned Owl.  It looked like either a cotton tail bunny,  or a kitten ;( that the owl had grabbed~

The hen looking down into the well of her nest...any day the chicks shall hatch...yeah.  Here is praying all goes well for once ~

       The nearly one year old juvie Red-shouldered hawk yelling at the Great Horned Owl~

                         Here she come, better get a wiggle on...the male that is, not me~

Male on the left and female on the right...changing of the guard~

Much To Share~

Feathers of a Red-Shouldered Hawk from January 21, all that remained after the Great Horned Owl attack~


It has been a few weeks since I first began to wonder about something and I have not wanted to share until I was absolutely certain. Some of you will recall the deep sadness that I shared with you in the blog post about how a Great Horned Owl took a Red-tailed Hawk and a Red-shouldered Hawk from my yard in less than 5 hours on January 21. Due to the fact that the adult pair were still around next day, and the fact that the only thing that remained of a Red-shouldered Hawk was a pile of very few feathers. I had assumed that it was thus the single young juvie from last years breeding season.


During the recent breeding season, I became somewhat encouraged about a young hawk that kept appearing in the skies above the grove. It was quite curious to me and I wondered at first if the hen had taken a new mate, and that possibly her mate had also been taken by the Great Horned Owl after the big attacks from January, or possibly some other means.


It took patience for me to be able to come to the conclusions that I can now share with you. I had to wait until I could get close enough to the nest tree and know that the hen would not abandon her eggs. She is the exact same hen that I have been watching since 1996...no doubt about it! Her mate is the same one that I have seen her with for many years of being able to view him as well. Then there is the young juvie that flies over Tingsgrove, that will sometimes fly with it's mother and I am delighted to share that the young one was not the Red-shouldered hawk killed on the grove that day after all.

Last Thursday and again yesterday something quite alarming was taking place around 1:00 PM both days.


Both of the adults had left the nest site in broad daylight and were on Tingsgrove yelling at something with great agitation, panting, and dive bombing something in the trees on the grove. I took some distant images and then left to get to the nest site, some 3 acres walk away...no adult on the nest. What would make them both leave so abruptly...I could not see, but after what seemed forever, the hen finally flew back to her nest and eggs.

These images were taken last Thursday when the two adult hawks were aggressively going after something on the grove, right outside our home and nearly 3 full acres from the nest tree~


Then, yesterday, the exact same scenario played out...loud and boisterous, frightening at times. Loud yells coming from the woods nearby. It appeared that a single hawk was yelling over and over again from the east of me and viewing the nest to the north and in front of me. I could hear Red-shouldered hawks yelling from the west of me as well. It appeared to me that the nest had no adult on it at first, and thus when two hawks appeared from my left flying toward the nest, I never even thought to take a photo, for I thought they would land and I would then get some captures, yet they flew over the nest and then out of no where, from the nest flew the male, who evidently was there all the while and hunkered down low to protect the delicate eggs.


What was going on then...I could now see to the east several hawks yelling and flying from branch to branch looking down and quite upset about something in the trees below. I made my way through the heavy brush and woods and then I saw it. A Great Horned Owl was in a cedar tree and guess who was right above it, yelling to beat the band, none other than the gloriously beautiful juvie from last season. The one that I had seen soaring along side it's mother... It is in fact very much alive.

These images appear to be the juvie from last season.  In two of the images it is relentless it it's yelling at the Great Horned Owl~

 

The above images show a very agitated hen and once she arrived back at the nest site, she was still quite alarmed~

Yesterday there were five Red-shouldered, maybe even six at times flying over and all were going after the Owl. What could this mean...possibly the group also included the two chicks from 2009...the basket and the nest chick... Which one then was taken on January 21, we shall never know.

The Great Horned Owl has taken a small Cotton tailed bunny and both the Crows and the Hawks were in pursuit~

 

What I am sure of is that the Great Horned Owls are still around, they are hunting during the day and the Red-shouldered Hawks are at their most vulnerable while on the nest. During the day, the hen will no doubt get all of the help she can handle, yet during the night, I can only pray she survives yet another season with raising the young I have grown to love watching take place here on Tingsgrove and beyond~
 

These images are a calmer time late yesterday afternoon of the hen watching her nest in protect~
 
Special Note:
 
Tomorrow, if not already, the first chick should break out of it's shell and then the long 6 to 8 week process begins.  The nest is not real large...notice the plastic bag that once again the hen has chosen to use in her nesting materials.  The nest is a bit lop-sided as well and it shall be a long few weeks, and with the concern always of a chick falling, or the presence of the Great Horned Owls, I still remain hopeful~