Neighborhood walk

[Lisa Millbank]

This morning we walked to the Oak Lawn Cemetery by the country club while it was still mostly dark. It was nice to hear quite a few birds singing at dawn, although it was brief: Song Sparrow, Bewick's Wren, American Robin, White-breasted Nuthatch, Winter Wren, House Finch.  We watched a doe grazing on the cemetery lawn.  She wandered away, but later, a young buck showed up and was following her scent.  He stopped to thrash his small forked antlers around in some Scotch Broom, and he was pretty focused on following the doe's scent and his antler thrashing, because he didn't seem to notice us.

We walked down through Marys River Natural Park on Brooklane Ave., up around the hill back to the cemetery, back down to Brooklane, and home via Nash Ave. and 49th St.  Some of the bird highlights were Evening Grosbeaks, Lincoln's Sparrow, American Pipits, Rough-legged Hawk, and Townsend's Warbler.  A busy covey of California Quail were calling, chasing one another, and running around.  We were watching a yard full of birds, when a young Sharp-shinned Hawk zoomed in and everyone else departed or hid.  Townsend's Chipmunks, Douglas' Squirrels, and Western Gray Squirrels were all calling and active. 

Lisa

www.neighborhood-naturalist.com

 

[Lisa Millbank]

Oops, I think I made an error on this post.  I thought I had a picture of a juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawk.  But looking more carefully, I'm pretty sure this is a young Cooper's Hawk.  This hawk has fine, sparse brown streaks on his belly, not the wide rufous streaking and barring extending onto the belly that a Sharp-shinned should have.  Also, the head is not so rounded, and the eye is not so centered in the middle of his face as it would be in a Sharpie.  This hawk was small, making me think he is probably a male, and his tail didn't seem as rounded as a lot of Cooper's do, and the light band on the end didn't seem as prominent as they sometimes are.  But, individuals vary.  Anyway, I've certainly learned a little more about young Cooper's vs. Sharpies!

Lisa

www.neighborhood-naturalist.com