It was a cold, dark, and raw morning here in Old Trail. I decided to hike from home, and when I left my house, there was a light mist in the air. It reminded me of the air just before snow. I wanted to see if I could re-locate the Merlin I had seen here yesterday. I didn't find it, and had seen close to 20 avian species when I decided to hike over to the pond along the golf course hole #10 to look for White-crowned Sparrows, as they are usually there. It was a bit longer back home than my usual hike, but I wasn't quite ready to go back.
Red-shoulderd Hawk; Hermit Thrush; Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
As soon as I reached the pond, just where there is a small mowed path from the field to the golf course, I saw a small hawk dive into the woody vegetation. It looked like a juvenile accipiter to me, but at that point I couldn't tell if it was a Cooper's or a Sharp-shinned Hawk.
Juvenile hawk
I walked around a bit trying to get a better look, and had to make my way through some tall, and a bit thorny, vegetation. I wasn't able to do this quietly, and I am sure that the hawk knew I was there, but it didn't seem to mind at all. I could see that the hawk was eating a small bird, and after a few better looks, determined that it was a juvenile Cooper's Hawk. I tried to photograph it from several different vantage points to get a clear photo of it.
Juvenile Cooper's Hawk
Juvenile Cooper's Hawk
Juvenile Cooper's Hawk
Juvenile Cooper's Hawk
Juvenile Cooper's Hawk
Juvenile Cooper's Hawk
Juvenile Cooper's Hawk
Juvenile Cooper's Hawk
Juvenile Cooper's Hawk
The hawk must have dropped a bit of its meal, as it dropped down to the ground and continued eating.
Juvenile Cooper's Hawk
Juvenile Cooper's Hawk
At this point I was ready to move on as I had some clear photos of the juvenile Cooper's Hawk. And then, to my great surprise, it flew up to a branch right in front of me, less than 10 feet away. And it stayed there! I was able to try different camera settings, move around to look at the hawk from different angles, and all the time this hawk just sat there and was content with just having its meal, and had no fear of my being there.
Juvenile Cooper's Hawk
Juvenile Cooper's Hawk
Juvenile Cooper's Hawk
Every once in a while, the hawk would bend over and sharpen its beak on the branch.
Juvenile Cooper's Hawk
Juvenile Cooper's Hawk
Juvenile Cooper's Hawk
Juvenile Cooper's Hawk
Juvenile Cooper's Hawk
Juvenile Cooper's Hawk
Juvenile Cooper's Hawk
Juvenile Cooper's Hawk
Juvenile Cooper's Hawk
Juvenile Cooper's Hawk
Juvenile Cooper's Hawk
Juvenile Cooper's Hawk
More than 800 photos and 37 minutes later, I decided to head for home, and this hawk was still perched in the same spot.