Red Shoulder Hawk

Pine Cone rolling on the ground under the Cedar when I opened the door this morning...'Chickaree!', I thought, and sure enough Chickaree came around from behind the Cedar to retrieve the Cone....an unusual Cone, as all the Trees nearabout the Cabin are Cedars!....after Breakfast, geared up....Mama Doe and Two Fawns resting in the Backyard...pic and clip...Three Dogwoods quiet...Creek's End quiet...heard Hawk at Ozone Beach, but thought to go back and get the bicycle...when I rode back, Hawk was quiet...and Swinging Bridge closed....and lots of tourists about...so peddled back towards the Cabin.....heard Hawk again back in the Woods...and while peddling along the Dirt Road, Red Shoulder Hawk flew to a perch nearby...took pics while on the bike trying to balance and not drop the tripod from the handlebars...then Hawk flew right towards me, looking to capture something on the ground...pics with new camera...started to reach for the 20x, and Hawk flew off...but very cool sighting!....continued to Lower Falls, and around out to Chapel Bridge, where I heard Blue Jay scolding in the Cottonwoods above Butterfly Flat (and an artist painting!)....searched with binocs....and Hawk, same!, flew up and over to the Deer House Oaks...to the Oaks I went!...pics....some of Hawk in flight....Hawk flew back to Bridge....and I followed...Hawk changed Trees three or four times...finally startled by tourists on the Path, and flew across the Meadow to Flicker Grove...followed on the bike, but lost sight...bicycle is useful going Tree to Tree!....peddled over to the Post Office..and picked up egg salad sandwich, hershy's, and orange juice...and peddled all the way almost to Swinging Bridge...set the bike down off the Path, and found a shady spot by the River to have lunch...Black Phoebe for company...pic and clip...wonderful Fall scenics....picked up and walked the Tree Line...quiet...retrieved the Bike and peddled again to the Village..happened on Tom and Theresa at the Woodpecker Tree...showed off Hawk pics!...parked the bike in the Village and took the Shuttle to Happy Isles...wanted to walk the Pony Path....in the afternoon the sun shines along the Merced hereabout, making for good pics...pics!....hopped on the Shuttle at Mirror Lake stop, and back to the Village...retrieved the Bike and back to Chapel Bridge...long talkabout and pic sharing with friend, related the whole story of the Owls..with the visual aid of the Magnificent Cottonwood!...at Lower Falls, just missed Bear...tourists still had cameras up....left the bike at the Cabin...and checked the Three Dogwoods...three Flickers flew up and away...there's hardly any seeds left....quiet at Creek's End...along the Merced, heard Hawk...hurried along, but then heard hoo hooo...Owl in same place as last night...kept hearing Owl, but with much looking couldn't locate...did locate Mama Doe and Two Fawns....and I could hear CottonwoodAndAspen calling by the Cattails...thought to go thataway, but just then heard another Owl hoo hoooing...set the 20x to record sound, I was hearing all four Owls!!!....Sentinel and Ponderosa were hoo hooing, one low, one high...and CottonwoodAndAspen were making the scrreech screeech calls...this is very cool...as this is how I first heard the Owls back in the Fall of 2007...then there was only one screeching...only one young Owl....and the two Parent Owl hoo hoos...anyway...two tourists came out of the Woods...'are those owls?'...I dont think they ever saw them, but they sat through the chorus....I was luckier...CottonwoodOrAspen perched and I was able to get clip up....and then CottonwoodOrAspen swooped in right overhead and perched...clip and pics for sometime...a very cool flight pic!...never did get to see mama and papa Owl....lost a lot of time with digi...rubber bands all out of alignment!...need to work some more on the contraption....anyway, a fine day with talkabouts, and Hawk and Owls!!...sunny warm blue...few clouds early on...there's another Valley Xmas bird walk count in the works, info courtesy of Theresa...which reminds me that tomorrow is transit day...today took a lot out of me, hope I can make it out at Dawn and do another transit like last Fall!

Link to Xmas Bird Count, CBC, info:
http://mariposa.yosemite.net/audubon/cbc.html