Hehe! Nice little birdy! ;) Scouting for some new territory maybe?

Oh he is so majestic. I know hawks threaten other birds, but to me they are such a noble bird. Great photo! He looks wetted down like maybe he went for a swoop in the pond behind him.

What a great picture - thanks for sharing.

I have a hawk in my yard too. It looks like the same exact hawk...I think it's a Coopers?

My pics are not as good as yours due to taking through a window, but hopefully, you can distinguish it. I have several bird feeders and lately, there is a lot of hunting in my yard.

I have recently lost cardinals, blue jays which I like, and ring-neck doves (not a loss as far as I am concerned..). I have feather piles under the feeder. I know it's nature and all, but wondering if I should stop feeding the birds? I hate to do that as I really enjoy bird watching.

{{gwi:930446}}

...on the fence.

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...above the feeders...how convenient!

Everytime we come back thru the "alley" from Ft Myers or Naples, I see one sitting on the fence right before dark. Are they nocturnal too??

Tropcialfreak

I saw a baby owl today. Too dark to see much but I could see it's profile and head movements. First one I have seen in a long time.

That's why I have not been seeing feathers - Mr. Cooper's Hawk moved to St. Pete! :-) But it may not be the same one, I think the one here was just feasting on doves - never saw any sign of cardinals being taken, I would be heartbroken. What helps here I think is there is plenty of cover for the smaller and faster birds to get to when the hawk shows up.

Now that you mention it I had a hawk swoop down and into the canopy of my oak tree. It caught me off guard, I just saw a glance of it's size. We have a Red Shoulder that visits regularly to sit on the neighbor's fence. Front what I read they aren't known to hunt birds. I'll have to keep a look out for the new comer.

StP=I wouldn't stop feeding the birds. What happens with Mother nature, stays with Mother Nature. I have a red shouldered hawk in my neighboring empty lot. He sometimes wakes me with his call. Lately I hear my cardinal pair off it the same lot and they are avoiding the feeders because of the hawks presence. Still, when they can, in the evening they will manage to sneak over and chomp on some seeds. Hawks are amazing critters. I also have a pair of swallow tail kites that circulate regularily. Magnificent birds. The do keep the smaller birds at bay at times, but I love to watch them display their sailing ability.

I was surprised that I was able to get the photos of him (her?) through the slider (I was afraid I'd scare it off if I opened it). We hear hawks often here. I noticed there was a Muscovy Duck with about 17 chicks one day, and only one a few days later! I assume the hawk may have been involved, although I have seen green herons go after them, too.

Cindeea
I miss all the birds over on the west coast. I used to love the opsreys, eagles, and all the burrowing owls over in Cape Coral. Are they still there like they used to be?

dragonfly-Ospreys and Eagles are here a plenty. Will have to consult with my Cape Coral friends to get the scoop on local burrowing owls. When I was diving-one year we rented a stilt home in the keys. I laid on the ground every evening to talk to and photograph the burrowing owls. They were such a curious bunch and so friendly! I enjoyed them very much.

Yeah, I was very upset to see little red cardinal feathers mixed in with the dove and few beautiful blue jay feathes too.

I think I know which cardinal it was too. A juvenile male that was learning to be a 'grown up' cardinal. He would hang out on the ground with the doves and have a little lost birdie look. I think he was recently given the boot from Mom&Dad. Probably, the hawk was going for a dove and caught the cardinal instead.

In my photos, do they look like two different hawks to you or the same one? It seems that one is more reddish/brown?

Saintpfla

It's hard to tell from the pics, but I would think that they might be the same hawk. The vertical lines on the abdomen and the yellow legs?? I think mine may have been a younger fellow.

My dad fought it out with a hawk vs. a cardinal in his back yard. The hawk swooped in and the both fell from the tree to the ground, dad happened to be outside! He ran over, and the hawk flew off, but he damaged the cardinal's eye. Dad nursed him back to health. He loves to tell this story :-)