Drama in the sky

On April 26 I was enjoying a walk in the back yard under a blue sky when I heard the distant calls of a Red-shouldered Hawk. As it moved nearer I saw that the hawk and an American Crow were attacking a larger bird. It was an adult Bald Eagle. The crow appeared to come in contact with one of the eagle's wing feathers:

Both birds took turns diving at the eagle:

The eagle almost flew upside down to fend off the hawk's attack:

Crows commonly chase larger birds of prey which intrude on their nesting territory, sometimes mobbing them. The hawks likely not only protect their nests, but also their more extensive hunting grounds. 

Early spring avian arrivals have included a pair of Eastern Towhees, large members of the sparrow family. The male towhee perched in a Red Maple which was just leafing out:

Its shrill song sounds like "Drink your tea:"

The female towhee has brown feathers where the male is black:

Gray Catbirds arrived on the first day of May:

During the winter, the local pair of Northern Cardinals competed with each other for food, but now they show greater tolerance. Soon the male will be feeding the female as part of their courtship ritual:

A White-tailed Deer yearling is shedding his dense gray winter fur, which consists of insulating hollow hairs. The  brighter chestnut-red summer coat is starting to show in patches:

A deer triggered our security camera early one morning:

Eastern Chipmunks have emerged from hibernation. I saw the first one on May 4:

Among the very early bloomers along the granite shelf was this low-growing rounded lavender Rhododendron:

Our granddaughter surreptitiously captured this photo of me in the back yard and sent  it with the message, "Wild grandpa in natural habitat:" 

Rainstorm over Hartford before sunset on May 1:

For my reflection meme I must reach 10 years back back to early  on a bright and still morning in Florida on May 19, 2013.  A Great Egret posed, motionless:

This week's header: Sunset storm over Hartford:

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Linking to:

Nature Thursday

Skywatch Friday

Weekend Reflections

Saturday's Critters

BirdD'Pot

Garden Affair

All Seasons

Image-in-ing

Nature Notes

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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