Cooper's Hawk
It was a chilly, but nice day to be out birding here in Old Trail. I ended up with only 23 avian species, but had a great outing. Early in my hike, I saw an accipiter that looked quite large, had good head projection, and did little wing flapping as it flew. The few photos I got of it show a fairly straight tail tip, but I still think that it was a Cooper's Hawk.
Cooper's Hawk
Swamp Sparrow
Carolina Wren
Hermit Thrush
Hermit Thrush
There were geese in the golf course pond. Most of them were Canadas, but a few of the smaller ones had fairly stubby bills, and I think that they were Cackling Geese.
Canada and Cackling Geese
Cackling(?) Geese
I was photographing some sparrows this morning in the Western Park wetlands just south of the community garden, when I heard a noise next to me. A juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk had landed in a tree just off my shoulder and slightly above eye level. I slowly turned and took a few photos of it, but there were a lot of tree branches in the way, so I slowly and quietly walked about 10 feet away, and took about 100 photos of this very cooperative hawk. I was able to modify camera settings and wait for different poses of the hawk. I then walked back to where I first saw this hawk, talked softly and quietly to it for about a minute to reassure it that I was not a threat, and then continued on my way with the hawk still there.
Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk
Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk
Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk
Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk
A little while later when I was hiking by the golf course pond along hole #1, I heard a crow and an adult Red-shouldered Hawk pitching a fit. They had seen a sub-adult Bald Eagle flying over Old Trail, and they were chasing it out of their territory.
Adult Red-shouldered Hawk
Bald Eagle
The pair of resident, adult Red-shouldered Hawks here in Old Tail have been here for more than three years, and they have seen me so many times that they let me get close to them and take lots of photos.
Adult Red-shouldered Hawk, Old Trail, December 2017
The adult Red-shouldered Hawks must have conveyed my birding activity to the juvenile. Although I know that this juvenile could not understand the words I was saying, I do believe that birds and other wildlife can distinguish between threatening and non-threatening behavior, can communicate with each other about threats and non-threats, and can recognize people that they have seen multiple times.
For example, I was the birding activity manager for the Rockfish Valley Trail in Nelson County for more than five years, and many of the birds and other wildlife saw me several times a week. In 2011, one of the White-eyed Vireos knew me so well, that when I hiked into its territory, it would fly down as if to say hello, and pose on nearby branches so I could take as many photos as I wanted.
White-eyed Vireo
Another time on that trail, a raccoon saw me and backed up into the vegetation. I stayed there for about 10 minutes, talked to it quietly, and it finally stood up, came on out, and walked down the trail with me for about 100 yards before going back into the brush.
Raccoon on the Rockfish Valley Trail
Raccoon on the Rockfish Valley Trail
From late spring through autumn, I spend a lot of time on the Blue Ridge Parkway, especially at Hickory Springs Overlook (mm. 12). In some years, the Cerulean Warblers there know me so well that they come down from high above and forage next to me while I take photos. This past autumn, a Hooded Warbler at that overlook was my "buddy."
Cerulean Warbler, Hickory Springs Overlook, June 2017
Cerulean Warbler, Hickory Springs Overlook, May 2019
Cerulean Warbler, Hickory Springs Overlook, September 2019
My wife calls me, "The Bird Whisperer."