Randy, It sounds like you get to enjoy a lot of birds too. I've been meaning to make up a list of the ones I get here, but I still haven't done it. I know there are pretty many. We live next to a woods and are not far from the mountain, and I guess that's what the hawks and owls like. I always hear screech owls and GHO's in the woods, but I've never gone looking for any of the nests. That's really neat that you know where the owls nest at your place. There aren't any cottonwoods here but thousands (more like millions) of others. I've never gotten any pictures of the owls. One evening one flew by not too many feet above my head (like maybe 20 at the most) and I didn't even hear it. I guess it was on its way to get its next meal. Maryann, You seem to me to know pretty much, so if you say you know little, then I guess that gives you a clue how much I know! lol I can identify pretty many birds, but I just haven't gotten a handle on hawks yet. One bird I would love to see is a red-headed woodpecker (never saw one in my life). We have other types here, one of which is the Pileated. It likes to go to the white pine tree in our yard that is slowly dying. I don't have it cut because of that. We also have a bird tree that's seen its better days, but birds nest and roost in the holes in it, so I don't have that one cut either. That would be nice for you to join a local bird club if you have the time. I'm not a member of any local bird club but go on songbirdsfamily.com It's one of those My Family sites where you email them your name and email and they give you a password to get on the site. You can post pictures right on the site and don't have to use photbbucket or anything like that. That's why I didn't know how to post pictures on this butterfly site at first because I never had to do that before, but now I learned that in addition to learn so many things about butterflies. I hope those hawks at your place get the house sparrows and starlings and leave the native birds alone. There are so many starlings around here and only a couple hawks once in awhile that I count on my traps and air rifle to get rid of them here. At first when I heard of other people doing that, I thought it was mean until I heard stories and saw pictures of what they do to our native birds. A lot of birding groups are encouraging people to destroy the house sparrows are starlings. Like you, I'm not fond of the grackles either for the reason you mentioned, but being that they're a native species, I just have to let them alone and grumble as I have to go out yet again to fill the feeders. Yes, I think you're right about that and it could have been either a hawk or a cat that got your cardinal. I've learned a lot about birds on other forums and enjoy them a lot, and one of my friends on there would talk about butterflies sometimes and I thought to myself, "Now that's something else that sounds interesting and I ought to look into it!" That's why I came here. Now I have more nice people to "talk" to. :) I'm sure I couldn't have learned so much about butterflies anywhere else either.

I don't know much about hawks, but I know they are opportunistic and don't always rely on live catches for their meals...I always see them swooping in on road kill. Perhaps you might try putting a small bit of ground beef out.....but maybe not on the deck itself, possibly somewhere further out in the yard....that way (hopefully) the hawk doesn't associate you with his "find". I know a lot of people won't agree, and that nature should be survival of the fittest...but maybe this hawk just needs a little bit of help to get through. I know I would have a hard time sitting back and watching it suffer.

Immature Cooper's I think but to differenciate the Cooper's from the sharp-shinned is so difficult in real life...all seem so easy in books. both the sharp-shinned and the Cooper's immature have streaked breast and pale eye BTW.

ok, i have waited this long because i couldn't narrow it down. my first love at a raptor dates back to kindergarten- the bald eagle. actually it is pretty "ironic": i can remember asking my mom for a quarter to "help save the bald eagles" i don't know if it was the teacher, or if it was the school, but i remember i needed to take it to class. so, here i was 30 years later, fighting development of plum island as a preserve for their winter and nesting sight. i am proof that educating children and raising their awareness works! now, on the other extreme, i just love the kestrel. this is strange for me because i am a "bigger the better" kind of person- irish wolfhound definitely preferred over a small dg, give me a horse- make it a "heavy horse" there is just something about the spirit of the bird being bigger than its size. i really think they have taht warrior spirit despite that apparant fragility i have heard of when kept captive. although i have never had experience with them. owl are just too tough to decide between. again, the raptors seem to win me over despite size- oh, that screech owl's song! a am partial to barn owls simply because ot the endangered/threatened status. i have never seen one! the great horned does win over the barred, but that doesn't make the barred any less "endearing." i do like the turkey vulture, too. so that about sums it up (love red tails in flight calls, they are always saying something) i ahven't gone in to many species. mostly i am trying to stick to the ones of my area. but, the harpy eagle, now there is a magnificent bird! anyone see jeff corwin with the harpy on his arm? it kept pecking his head. i say pecking because with that kind of strenght it was more like a love tap!