Red-tails and Bluebirds #1040

Watching the World Cup matches has put a crimp on my birding the past week. Rain and cold, windy weather has confined us on a few days. Most of our observations have been through the windows and during brief sorties in the back yard.

A few days ago I looked out the window and saw an adult Red-tailed Hawk roosting half way up a large tree in the neighboring woodland. I ran for my hat and coat, binoculars and camera. Outside, I found that the hawk had  disappeared. Then a flock of crows appeared out of nowhere and seemed to be mobbing a predator. It was the Red-tail, which flew out of the wooded area and right over my head.

There was time for only a couple of photos against the cloudy sky: 

Coincidentally, a  Red-shouldered Hawk swooped up and away, allowing only one poor view of this smaller Buteo species:

A single American Robin called from a treetop. Although they were very uncommon during the winter when I was a kid in interior New Jersey, many now overwinter in the northeastern states:

Similarly, Eastern Bluebirds have become much more abundant since the 1960s, thanks to the increased provision of nest boxes in suburban and rural areas. Small flocks of 6-8 individuals are often present all winter. 

To my surprise, they are eating safflower seeds in the platform feeder, as photographed through the window on a dark and cloudy afternoon. Their preferred winter diet consists of fruits and berries, in the absence of insects: 

The success of my photos through the window depends upon ambient lighting conditions and proximity of the subject:

The bluebirds often visit the two nest boxes in the yard, but I have not seen them use them for overnight shelter. 

Here, a House Finch, a species which rarely nests in cavities, seemed interested in one of the bluebird houses. A female bluebird was guarding the door as the finch flew up:

The House Finch lingered on, but I never saw it enter the bird house:

Two White-tailed Deer, probably a yearling fawn and its mother, provided a nice photo-op from the back fence:

The deer often bed down during the day. This one chose a leaf-littered spot in a patch of sunlight next to the house:

A  second rested nearby:

View of downtown Hartford, 11 miles away, on a clear morning:

Sunset reflected on the swimming pool cover, December 5:

Two White-tailed Does eating eating our Holly as third lingers behind (view full screen to see its eye shine)-- View from our Casita front door RING Camera at 12:28 AM on Tuesday DEC 6:

Either the soft alarm chime or the bright floodlight on the Ring camera awakened me. I crept to the window just as one of the deer was sampling the Cotoneaster (which, like the holly, are supposed to be deer-resistant). They saw me and bolted to join the third doe at the top of the bluff.

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Linking to:

Nature Thursday

Skywatch Friday

Weekend Reflections

Saturday's Critters

BirdD'Pot

Garden Affair

All Seasons

Image-in-ing

Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday)

Wild Bird Wednesday

My Corner of the World
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Please visit the links to all these posts to see some excellent photos on display
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