New Neighbors

Technically we are getting them. The house to the west has sold, but we haven't met them yet. Jim thinks he saw them though. While bird-watching out the back window, he yelled to me "Hey, we got Asians."

Thus the "U.N." feel of our diverse little street persists...

But, those are not the neighbors I'm talking about.  It seems that Freya the hawk has returned, and this time she's got a mate!

No really, the windows are clean...

They've spent the last couple of days taking turns flying off, and standing guard in and around the neighbor's trees out back.  One hung out on our birch tree for a while...above the bird feeder.

What is interesting, is that the other birds sometimes don't seem to care that there is predator in their midst.  It's like they can sense that the hawks aren't hungry right now or something. I imagine that will be a fatal mistake at some point.

Today's activity included what was probably mating.  One of them was in a tree in between houses on a street to the southwest (behind) of us.  The other one flew over. I expected the other one to fly back to where the nest is, but, nope...It was too far away to see clearly, but I've seen other birds "doin' it" and "it" looked just like that.  And for about as long too, which is to say "not very."  Birds don't waste time.   No, I didn't get pictures of that. Perverts.

I went back to my breakfast, and trying to figure out how to get Comedy Central via Roku, since they are in some dispute with Vue.  After I ate, I looked out back just to check things out.  Mr. Cardinal and Mrs. Cardinal II were visiting the feeder together (aww..).  I sort of said out loud, "Watch out, we have two hawks around" when they both flew down to below the juniper bush (or yew...I can't remember which is which).  Suddenly, from across "The Asians" yard, I see Hawk flying low in that direction!  I wait...I yell "I think we have our first casualty" to Jim, who is busy doing dishes and doesn't hear me.  Finaly, Mrs. Cardinal II pops to the birch tree, her crest standing straight up with indignantly.  (Trust me, she was indignant.)  I wait further, and change vangage point because I can see Hawk sitting on the fence, but most of them is blocked by the bush. I can barely see their talons, but see no bright red feathers.  Then Mr. Cardinal flies over to the bird feeder.

I'm not sure how Hawk could have missed either of them, but then it might be because Hawk was on the hunt for different prey...sticks and twigs from the neighor's trees that fall in our yard.  Mrs. Cardinal II looked on indignantly still, while Mr. Cardinal ate, the only logical thing to do after narrowly escaping being eaten himself.  Hawk tried various sticks, all of which were too big (that's when I snapped the blurry pictures). Finally, they get one that is to their liking and fly off with it.

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Then I had to go to work.

The adventure continues...

Yes I'm using the singular "they" until I can tell Mr. and Mrs. Hawk apart.  And to get myself used to it in general.