I'm a big fan of birds, and raptors are some of my favorites. Living where we do, there are a good number of them who either pass through or reside close by. A few years ago we were delighted to view an osprey fishing the lake, daily for a week or more. The bald eagles are a favorite, and we feel very fortunate to have a pair who have a nest not far from us. And then there are a couple types of hawks that I've seen and photographed. Most recently, one red-tailed hawk has taken to perching in a cottonwood on our property. And this raptor is a beauty. Here are some photos of it, taken on the same day as the eagle shots in my previous post (Raptor Kind of Day, or what a difference a scope makes). So you'll notice the photos are very gray due to the fog.
ready for takeoff
In flight...
What a day yesterday was for raptor-watching. I've seen the pair of eagles on their nest and hunting and fishing more often. I caught one of them after it landed in a tree less than a 1/4 mile away from me. Doesn't it look like it has a cape on? Sort of vampire-ish...foggy day...though we're not in Forks.
without scope, zoom lens
with scope, less than 1/4 mile away
with scope, 1/2 mile away
snow on rose hips
The snow weighed heavily on the boughs of the cedars, roses, and salmonberry bushes.
No place to sit after the snowfall
The unusually cold and wintry weather this year inspired me to action. I made suet for the birds. Yes, this is the first batch I've ever made. Pretty incredible I know, where have I been that I haven't made suet before? No excuses, sirs and ma'ams. Here is a picture of it in the pan...
Of course, the suet is for the birds' nourishment, but viewing the birds gives us nourishment for the senses. So the feeders needed to be hung where we could indulge as well, which meant they needed to hang from the deck railing. Using his creative skills, Mr Woodworker made some nifty supports that fit snugly on the railing, and from which we can hang the suet feeders for maximum visibility.
(seed in beak-above)
So kind of this little chickadee to oblige in a photogenic pose,
Living in the country, we know there are numerous types of interesting wildlife living around us. However much of it remains unseen, except for the tracks they leave behind. With the snow rich with evidence, I thought I'd post some of the photos and ask if you have any ideas on what made the tracks. In case you're thinking this is a quiz, sorry it's not. I won't be able to answer whether you're correct because I don't know the identities of the mystery tracks.
Image 1: footprints on edge of frozen lake: racoon? something else?
Image 2: ?
Image 3a: seen going into wooded area next to water/canal
Image 3b: closeup of image 3a
Image 4: tracks along ledge of house foundation
Image 5: tracks on second story deck
Image 6: tracks between blackberries and wood pallet
Image 7: tracks from wooded area
Image 8: Sorry, I couldn't help myself from throwing
