urban hawk
I've been bird watching with the boys recently. Bird watching. The idea of it clashes somewhat with my self image, but I'm learning to be flexible. We haven't taken it (yet?) to the point of tromping through the woods, listening for feathered friends. Our bird watching occurs mainly at meals, watching the bird feeder through our windows.
Until two weeks ago, I knew the basics. I knew that birds could fly. I also knew that their beaks were a reflection of their eating habits. Those two facts were basically the extent of my knowledge. I don't know much more than that today, but I can identify the handful of bird species that frequent our yard. When I can't, Miles and I do some bird research on the Internet. [We found and printed a helpful (PDF) guide to common Seattle birds from the Audobon Society in Seattle. We also found a good photolog of common birds in the Seattle area, assembled by a man in Bellevue.]
Yesterday, we were sitting by the window watching some Dark-eyed Juncos (ground-feeding), Black-cap chickadees (suet snacking), and a Bewick's Wren (executioning spiders in our stone temples). Miles was using the binoculars. (The birds are roughly 15' away, but our 7x50 Nikon binoculars give an intensely good view, even during dark winter days.) Suddenly, all the birds scattered. This behavior was a bit unusual. We're used to the birds arriving and leaving by species; rarely do four species suddenly bolt simultaneously unless something scares them.
Miles paused for a two-count and then put down the binoculars. At once, a juvenile Cooper's Hawk swooped in to our yard and perched in our tree - also 15' away from our windows. He (she?) was clearly hunting the birds that were congregating around our feeders. He stayed in our tree for a few minutes as Miles and I passed the binoculars back and forth. He was a spectacular bird and I'm still feeling the thrill of seeing him so closely. I understand that the big yellow eyes are a clear indication of a juvenile. I wouldn't have been able to differentiate an adult from a juvenile by size alone; the bird in our tree was pretty substantial. I didn't have a camera nearby, but there is a good picture of a Cooper's Hawk here.
