Today was a very good morning for birding here in Stoney Creek. Right off the bat I saw a Downy Woodpecker, two Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Mourning Doves, a White-breasted Nuthatch, and a Golden-crowned Kinglet. Many of the birds came in pairs. I soon saw a pair of Downy Woodpeckers and a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers. I saw a pair of Eastern Towhees (my first of year), and at least three Eastern Phoebes. Can spring be far behind?
Golden-crowned Kinglet
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Downy Woodpeckers
Northern Mockingbird
Song Sparrows
But it was the hawks that once again put on the main act. Crows were mobbing a Red-tailed Hawk, and an adult Red-shouldered Hawk flew into a nearby tree to see what was going on, perhaps making sure that one of its juveniles was not in trouble. A few minutes later, one of the juvenile Red-shouldered Hawks flew overhead, making lots of noise as it approached and then circled.
Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk
Farther down the way I heard another crow harassing a hawk - this time it was a boldly colored Red-tailed Hawk.
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
Red-tailed Hawk
This morning's list (25 species):
Eastern Bluebird Golden-crowned Kinglet Northern Mockingbird Northern Cardinal Starling | Field Sparrow Song Sparrow Blue Jay American Goldfinch Red-tailed Hawk Red-shouldered Hawk Black Vulture Turkey Vulture Pileated Woodpecker Red-bellied Woodpecker Tufted Titmouse Carolina Chickadee Eastern Phoebe White-breasted Nuthatch Mourning Dove Canada Goose |