As we were driving along the salt marsh the other day, I noticed this Red-Tailed Hawk in the grass. I usually see the Red-tailed Hawk sitting in a tree or flying, but rarely on the ground. We pulled over to see what he was doing.
He was obviously enjoying his fresh-caught meal, of what I do not know. There were a lot of seabirds nearby in the river. Maybe a little rodent nearby?
I liked the 2nd photograph as he looks like he is taking a little break from “lunch.” He was pretty far out on the marsh, so no other predators were nearby.
I always love to see the Bluebirds when they come to our yard. They all seem to love to sit by the birdbath, They move as a group, whether they are looking for food, getting a drink or taking a bath. And when one leaves, they all fly away.
This little guy was so cute sitting on the birdbath. I love his coloring. What do you think?
I saw my first Hooded Merganser on Cape Cod the other day at Wiley Park, and then the next day at Boat Meadow River. At first I thought they were Buffleheads, but then I looked a little closer on my computer.
What a gorgeous water bird! Look at those vibrant colors with a huge white patch on its head and white stripes on their black breast and black back. So pretty. The females are more drab in colors of black and brown.
Have you ever seen a Hooded Merganser? They are abundant on Cape Cod from November through March.
I was so surprised to see this Mockingbird high in the tree at Fort Hill in the middle of winter. I had never seen one in the winter before. I checked on my Cape Cod Bird Checklist and found that they are common all year round on Cape Cod.
It was a beautiful day and I loved the blue, blue sky in the background. So pretty.
I heard the Crows squawking the other day and went outside to see what all the ruckus was about. There, high in the tree in our front yard was this Red-Tailed Hawk perched, apparently looking for lunch. We’ve had one chick hatch in our yard the past two summers, so I wondered if this was the latest one.
He doesn’t look quite mature yet… maybe he’s a juvenile?
I have to add a little more to this story… last weekend I saw some movement way high up in one of the trees in our back yard. I looked up and there was a Red-Tailed Hawk with a branch in its beak. He spread his wings and brought the branch to the nest above. What a treat! It looks like we’ll have nesting hawks in our yard again.
And then we started wondering… is it the original parent or one of his offspring that keeps using the same nest each year? So much fun to watch!
Cape Cod daily articles on the wonderful Cape Cod places to hike, experience and photograph. A Cape Cod Outdoor Adventure Series.
