My new bionic knees have rejuvenated my ability to tramp around the woods, and I’ve been steadily increasing the distances I walk in this new year. Today, I put in 2.5 miles on one of my favorite routes that takes me to the north end of the park.
Along the way, I had decent light in which to shoot photos of several birds, including the song sparrow singing lustily in the photo topping this post. Also singing were field sparrows, the first I’ve heard in weeks if not months.
I mistook a purple finch for a yellow-rumped warbler high up in a tree and didn’t realize my mistake until I brought up the photos at home.
An even bigger surprise awaited me when I pulled back into my driveway.
A Cooper’s hawk was on the ground near our bedroom window. The hawk darted into the bushes, flushing a small bird that flew past my car and off to safety. The hawk swooped over my windshield, landed briefly by the front of the garage and even flew low near the front door before heading down the street.
Cooper’s hawks know their business. When they get hungry, they head to homes like ours with multiple feeders — a sort of Golden Corral songbird buffet.
I was able to get two frames of the hawk on the ground near our rhododendron but, shooting from inside the car, wasn’t able to get any other shots off.
In a way, we both whiffed. 🦅
The Jersey Birder 