Oh how I envy you... Such a magnificent bird...

If he's ever in Michigan tell him to stop by for lunch, I have a bunny that's getting fat on my prized hosta's... lol

Rita

Watch your kitties!
What kind of a hawk is he?
There was a big...HUGE red tail that was hanging around here last fall and early winter....I was very careful to keep Latte close in those early months....but I guess he has found the fields better hunting now....even though I have a fat rabbit....but he couldn't take a full grown bunny....weighs more than Latte likely.

We have one too! Pretty Bird isn't he? I love seeing them knowing they are helping keep the rodent population down. We used to have an owl who hung out and left us a couple feathers pond side.

My ducks are back, flying in separately now and only briefly.

We relocated our bat house this year and are hoping for new residents. I keep visualizing them making a mess under the bat house, which is near the compost pile (intentionally on purpose!)

Oh Cathy, he's gorgeous! Glad he found his way back. Wonder where he was? What cute feet he has..lol. Wonder if his namesake has such cute feet. Smiles. I didn't know your place backed up to so much greenery. Lovely.

Great shot, Cathy! He is gorgeous.

Looks like either a Cooper's or Sharp-Shinned Hawk. They are similar except for size and I think the length and shape of their tails.

Kitties are probably safe, but small rodents and songbirds aren't! Tim was standing on our porch one day and one swooped in and grabbed a Chickadee right off the bird feeder!

Linda

LindaC, Kitties are inside cats but I have been worried about the songbirds.

Rita, Wish I had some wild bunnies.

Linda, I knew you would know about birds. I need you to come stay with me and fill me in on all the birds who visit.

CdL, I would like to keep informed about your bats...interesting.

Coconut, I did enjoy 10 acres of pasture land for many years until last year when someone bought the property and built a McMansion. I think Lou, like me, didn't appreciate all the construction going on.

These were the old days:

Great pic! Glad your buddy is back in his old stompin' grounds. I miss my Hoot Owl up at the lake. I remember those pics long before the construction started across the road.

David

He is a handsome fellow. We have hawks around here, but I don't see them close up too often.

I've been enjoying the hummingbirds on my feeders. I can just sit and watch them for the longest time.

Beautiful shot, Cathy!

He's a beauty! Will you let him know that when Florida's weather gets to hot & sticky to fly over my way? We have rabbits and more to munch on!
Your garden & beyond are really lovely!

Just thought of this thread because I can hear a woodpecker beating his brains out nearby. Strange birds.

Fabulous picture, Cathy!

Three years ago we had a Cooper's hawk take out a starling in our back gardens. I've got pictures of the "feast" taken from the sunroom window but they're gross so I won't post.

About six years ago, we had an eagle fly into our living room window. It proved to be a fatal injury. He was so hurt & suffering I didn't know what to do so I phoned the Denison Pequotsepos Nature Center here in Mystic for help. They sent someone over right away but it was too late. The eagle's mate stayed in the spruce across the street for nearly a week screeching night/day. It was heartbreaking. We put a couple of those stickers on the window immediately after it happened...wish we would have done it two days sooner. :)

Lots of raptors around the coast.

/tricia

Cathy:

Nice Photo!

I am just guessing but it may be a Coopers Hawk.

Judging from the Post and Barbed wire, he looks to be about 10 to 12 inches tall ?

A Sharp Shinned Hawk is about the size of a Jay and the eyes are set farther back.

The eyes on a Coopers Hawk are set forward, towards the beak and they have a broad chest like yours in the Photo.

There are a number of other distinguishing features.

A Merlin looks similar also.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

You could tack a thin strip of wood (12 inches high ), on the Post, so when he lands there again,
you can get an idea of size.

LOU

Lou, I thought you had come to visit me! That's not you sitting on the fence post?

Thanks all for sharing your bird stories and experiences. I really enjoy the wildlife; it breaks my heart to see a dead deer, raccoon, or fox on the road and we are seeing more of that here.

Cathy, we had a mountain lion here in CT this week. There were multiple sightings. Unfortunately, he ran in front of a car. Was a 140 lb. male. The State thought they were extinct here so now we're all wondering if it was an escapee from NY where keeping exotic pets is legal or...if there are more hiding in our woods??? :) I grew up with mountain lions in Nevada but the CT woods are a surprise.

/tricia

Tricia, The Florida panther is our state animal, but federal officials have allowed development of thousands of acres of Florida panther habitat. Now there is no longer enough Florida panther habitat left for the growing population of panthers, and genetic defects that had been vanquished are reappearing.

Their natural habitat is in South FL; the state built under-highway trenches for them to pass without going across Alligator Alley, which is a highway that goes from Naples across the state to Ft Lauderdale. When a panther dies, it hits all the papers.

Hi,
I don't mean to hijack your thread, but if you're interested in learning about red-tailed hawks, there's been a nest at the Franklin Inst. in Phila. for 3 years. The last one may have fledged, but there's great information at the blog "Hawkwatch", which is a link at this site with the cam:

Here is a link that might be useful: Franklin Institute Hawk Nest

Mar, Neat, thanks for sharing. Guess I'll have to start my own Hawkwatch. I never know when Lou will show up!

Cathy, seeing a panther in the wild (like from the safety of a car!) would be so amazing. The last thing FL needs is more houses, but you do need those panthers.

Mar, I am so glad you posted that link. I have followed that nest for the last three years. I walked past it on the street once and saw the parents flying by. The hawks are very common in Philadelphia, but being able to watch them so closely is such a treat. Smart birds to build their nest on a window ledge of a science museum, where there is interest in learning from their nest.

Here is a well written blog about the Franklin Institute Hawks. Two have left the nest for good and the third is at a bird rehab center. Only one of the babies would have survived without human intervention. Two of them fledged too soon and had to be returned to the nest. There is a devoted contingent of "hawk watchers" who regularly photograph and report on the birds' progress.

You can also find them on Facebook.

Here is a link that might be useful: Great blog about FI Hawks

I love watching the various hawk and eagle cams. The very first cam I ever watched was a cow cam from right here in NJ. LOL..

Cathy, I'm sorry that you lost that pasture to a mcfarm. We have so many of them around here now. A lot of the old farms and great farmhouses are ripped down to make a place for ten of these places. Yuck. That does sound reasonable that that's why Lou stayed away last year.

Hi everyone:
Thought someone may be interested.

People come from all over the World to Hawk Mountain, in Kempton, PA.

The Hawks migrate there, I think from August into Dec.
Air currents there are right for Migration.
If you Google " Hawk Mountain ",

you will find info on all the different Species of Raptures, that Migrate from there.

You will be amazed !!!

Remember ( LOU told you ).

LOU

Cathy,

As a follow-up to my earlier post about the mountain lion recently killed here in southern CT, I thought I'd post the final outcome of the cat's mystery. Seems this cat was well traveled. I'm sad he was hit & killed.

From NBC Connecticut...

"The mountain lion killed on Route 15 in Milford last month traveled about 1,800 miles to get here.

It came from Black Hills of South Dakota and traveled through Minnesota and Wisconsin before eventually ending up in southern Connecticut. This is the longest journey recorded for a land mammal and nearly double the distance ever recorded for a mountain lion, according to state Department of Energy & Environmental Protection."

/tricia

Here is a link that might be useful: Mountain Lion Mystery Solved

Wow, that is fascinating, and sad. I think the comments added by readers to the article claiming to have spotted other cougars over the years may be true. We have had reports of spotting them around here (suburban Philadelphia) and the wildlife experts say it was "a large domestic cat" or "a deer or a fox." Huh? so people are stupid and don't know what they are seeing?

I remember the first time I saw a deer around here, I almost drove off the road. Unbelievable! That was quite a few years ago and now I don't even blink twice except when they are leaping in front of my car.

Thanks for the update.

Teresa, Thanks for sharing that story. It breaks my heart when I hear stories about animals, especially domestic pets, showing up great distances from their home. I get bogged down in the details of the animals plight.

Pam, unfortunately we have small deer in my area. Unfortunately because most often I see them as road kill and I just scream out in horror. I complain because of the development in our neighborhood then someone reminded me that when my house was built it contributed to the over development.

Kathy, what are the small deer? Are they Key Deer? I thought they were only on the islands. Yes, whenever I see "road kill" I always feel kinda sorry for them. I try not to look.

Lou, that picture looks a bit photoshop-ish.

Lou, thanks for sharing. Photoshopped or not, it's a great thought.

Pam, the deer are White-tailed deer. But it seems that the fawns are most susceptible to the dangers of our country roads that's why I said little deer. Breaks your heart doesn't it.

Cathy (with a C!), I was driving home one night, came around a curve and there were two little fawns standing in the road. They looked totally panicked. not knowing which way to go. They were so adorable with their big eyes and white spots. They both finally decided to take off into the woods. Glad I was driving slowly enough to easily stop for them. Of course, now they are bigger and happily munching on someone's lovely garden.

Is your hawk still around?

This guy came for breakfast this morning,
a Six Pointer, in Velvet.
Guess in a month all the Velvet will be rubbed off.
LOU

How precious! I hope you treated your guest kindly.

When my Grandbaby was 4, he went into Uncle's den and saw antlers and other hunting trophies on the wall. As he slowly looked around taking it all in, I was wondering what he was thinking. After taking inventory, he said to Uncle "why you do dat?". That has been my question for years!

Here's a visitor in my driveway....

and here he is with his kids in my neighbor's yard; there were 2 adult females there as well...just not in the picture.

Of course they eat absolutely everything, including my Bleeding Hearts. It's the first time in 10 years they've eaten those...the deer have had good eating this summer!

Helene