Camera Critters #279

Earlier this week, I heard an odd sound outside.  I knew it was a hawk, but what kind?





The bird had me stumped for a few seconds, but after looking at it through the lens of my camera while shooting photos of it, I realized what it was.

It was an Intermediate Adult Red-tailed Hawk.

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Camera Critters #255

Sunday, Feb 10, 2013, was a nice day on the High Desert.  After returning home from breakfast, I grabbed my camera and sat in the sun, enjoying the day.

As I looked around and admired how deeply blue the sky was, I caught sight of something flying about 1,000 feet above me.  I raised the camera, zoomed in and saw, for the first time from my backyard, a Bald Eagle also enjoying the day.



After watching the eagle float out of sight to the north, I continued looking around, soaking up the rays of the warming sun and tossing toys for Sammi to chase.

After about 10 minutes, I caught sight of something else flying around above me.  This time it was lower…at about 500 feet.

Again, I raised the camera, zoomed in and smiled as I snapped my first image of a Cooper’s Hawk.  Not only was it the first image I got of something from that species, but it was also the first sighting I have had of one in Oregon.



The Cooper’s Hawk circled around several times and then headed eastwards.

I sat out in the sun for about an hour more and didn’t see anything else.  With Sammi asleep on my lap, I rose from the chair, put Sammi inside and went on a safari around town.

Misty Dawn’s Camera Critter Meme is a great way see critters the world over. Go to the homepage here to see more. Then join the fun and add your own.

Camera Critter #252

During an earlier in the year trip down the trail along the Dry Canyon in Redmond, Oregon, I spotted a nice raptor sitting near the top of a tree just off the trail.

I couldn’t help but stop and begin shooting images of the marvelous Merlin.



Misty Dawn’s Camera Critter Meme is a great way see critters the world over. Go to the homepage here to see more. Then join the fun and add your own.

Camera Critters #251

A week or so ago, I walked along a portion of the Dry Canyon Trail in Redmond, Oregon, which I don’t often travel.  It was the second time in 10 days I was in that area.

The first time I came across a nicely posing bird (which you will see next week here if I don’t find something else to show) I have few photos of, but the second time I traveled the trail, I came across a bird I have few photos of and no photo I consider good…that includes this one.

The bird is a Prairie Falcon, something I have never seen in town.



This photo is not that bad and would have been a good one had the light been directly on the bird.  However, fence lines and distance prevented me from getting a better image.  And moments after this image was taken, the bird flew and disappeared to the north.

Misty Dawn’s Camera Critter Meme is a great way see critters the world over. Go to the homepage here to see more. Then join the fun and add your own.

Camera Critters #209

A couple of weeks ago, we had a break in our rotten weather and I decided I would head out for a walk around town, with my camera in hand, of course.

As I walked through a new city park, I heard the screeching of a Red-tailed Hawk.  Glancing around, I spotted one circling and as I raised my camera, it glided in for a landing on the top of a nearby tree.

I snapped off a few shots and noticed the large mass below the hawk at the top of the tree.  Looking closer, I realized it might be a nest.  As I walked around looking at the top of the tree, I felt more and more confident of my conclusion.

 

At one point, a second, smaller, Red-tailed Hawk, probably a male, circled the area.  After a few minutes, the perched hawk took off and joined the other hawk.  The pair headed to the northeast and I lost sight of them.

Since the possible nest is not far from my place, I have kept an eye on it.  The pair of Red-tailed Hawk tend to stay in the area of that tree, but I have yet to notice any sitting on the nest.

Misty Dawn’s Camera Critter Meme is a great way see critters the world over. Go to the homepage here to see more. Then join the fun and add your own.