This past week, we finally had a decent snowfall of 4-6 inches in town and more in the high country.
It was beautiful while it lasted! The snow is disappearing quickly now that rain has arrived.
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| House Finches |
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| Pine Siskin |
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| Oregon Junco |
Since we keep our bird feeders and water dish filled, our yard is a popular destination for the birds, squirrels and chipmunks on winter days.
Lots of movement in our yard has attracted the Red-shouldered Hawks once again. It's hard not to glue myself to the window when a hawk soars by and lands on a prominent boulder in the backyard. How often does that happen? Almost never! Interestingly, two hawks were in our yard for about 30 minutes. The male was intently scanning the yard for prey from his perch while the female was in the snag calling every few minutes. She seemed to be cheering him on.
After an unsuccessful hunt, he returned to the snag for another brief encounter before they both moved on to new hunting grounds. Nesting is definitely among their priorities!
The birds, chipmunks and squirrels in our yard survived another week of snow and hungry hawks.
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| Steller's Jay |
By the way, if you hear a mob of Jays squawking, look in the vicinity of the ruckus. You may find a sleeping owl, snake or in our case, a hawk. They definitely are the neighborhood "watchdogs".
Happy Birding!
Click on photos to enlarge.
Photos and content by Robin Roberts.
