Tuesday, December 1, 2009

FarFar Away Hawks And Owl































Stepped outside Last Chance after very late Breakfast, and sighted Hawk way high...clip...but too tiny...gathered up the gear at the Cabin, and back to the Creek...tourists at Creek's End, so diverted and crossed over at the Stepping Stones....out to Chapel Bridge...Blue Jay pair in the Bush at Cottonwood Beach...clip...out in Chapel Meadow, sighted Hawk near the Cottonwood Grove....was sighting 20x, zooming in...and Hawk flew off along the Tree Line...followed, and Hawk was Tree to Tree exactly where I hoped!...like old times!....but I was too far behind... and at the River's Bend before the Bend at Ozone Beach, sighted DownyOrHairy Woodpecker climbing a Cottonwood...clips and pics...diverted a bit from Hawk...and didn't know where Hawk flew off to...started back the way I came, and sighted Hawk way high overhead in the Magnificent Blue Sky..well, almost blue..lots of contrails and a few hazy clouds......clip and pics...and Hawk is the Red Tail with the missing feathers!...very cool...Hawk was over Bobcat Meadow...and I went thataway....at the Woodpecker Tree, Black Phoebe was fly catching...clip...and Hawk (Red Shoulder) was calling on the far side of the Meadow from maybe the Elm Tree ...picked up and headed across....back amongst the Hummocks!...like old times!....Hawk flew off to Flicker Grove...went to my left...wondering if the Lily Pad Pond was damp...and managed to cross..dry... near enough now for pics and clip, I could see the Sun shinning on Hawk's chest...and could see it was Coop, the Red Shoulder Hawk...very much now like old times!...Cooped picked up and flew to the Deer House....crossed the remainder of the Hummocks, and at the Deer House, thought I'd lost Hawk, but Coop flew back to the Ponderosa...walked around it, and missed another flight pic..Coop flew back to Flicker Grove....auto focus too slow...but I did get a distant flight pic of Coop flying from the perch in the Grove...I followed, but couldn't keep up....went to the Post Office...and Village for hot dog, chips, hershys and apple juice...and Shuttled back to Lower Falls...passed Deer in the Oak Grove, and went back for pics and clips...one Fawn, four Does, and Buck...paddled over to the Deer House, and back across the Creek at the Stepping Stones...out to Creek's End....quiet...Ouzel quiet..usually Ouzel is about...started out the Diversion Channel, thinking it would be quiet too..but heard a very low quiet single screech...stood and listenedlistened..and one or two more screeches...had the digi with, and unpacked it, seemed a good chance I was hearing Owl, though the call so soft it could have been Blue Jay...everything set, and I walked out of the Channel to the level grasses...and was very lucky to see Owl in the tall Cedar...though Owl did start calling in earnest, and I would have 'sighted' with my ears okay...took digi clips and pics until the light was gone...very cool to see Owl...Owl was preening when I looked back with the binocs...went to Last Chance for dinner....sunny warm to cool, blue with hazy clouds and a thousand contrails...didn't know the first Hawk was the Red Tail until reviewing the pics...so two Hawks today...and maybe a third......and Owl...very cool...

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