Tag Archives: Harris’s Hawks

More Birding

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The backyard was strangely quiet. Normally it’s a busy beehive of birds. Especially after I fill the Bird Buddy feeder. But no. Not a bird in sight. Then I spotted this young Cooper’s Hawk on the fence. No wonder the smaller birds were staying away. He’s smaller than my Harris’s hawks. He was far enough away that I wasn’t sure what it was. It looked to me like an overlarge Mourning Dove who looked whitish in the morning sun.

Then I got the telephoto out and had some nice surprises.

Speaking of Bird Buddy AI bird feeders, I splurged and ordered a second one. I ordered my first one when my son had their account and was working on raising money to make the bird feeder a reality. I was an early contributor to the Bird Buddy campaign and I got my feeder at a huge discount. I did have to wait more than a year and a half for it, though.

Once the big birds like Quail and Mourning Doves attacked the bird feeder. The cord that connects the solar panel to the camera was destroyed. It ended up in the wash behind our house. The Bird Buddy people were nice enough to replace it and the bird feeder is still functional — with tape holding it together. It doesn’t like Arizona’s summers that well.

The new one arrived yesterday. It was so much easier than the original one to pair with my phone and set up. It was a breeze. I can also tell it’s a more solid unit. I remember having to work with tiny screws that kept falling into the feeder on the first go around. I almost gave up on putting it together. The new one had no screws to deal with. The camera fit snugly into the bird feeder with a magnet holding it in place.

I don’t have it in the yard yet. I’m waiting for Amazon to deliver a “Shepherd’s Hook” to hang it on. If that doesn’t work, I may try twine to hang it from the fence. I think the birds will be thrilled to have a new feeder and maybe they will fight less over birdseed.

Speaking of fighting over birdseed, watch this video of Mourning Doves in the Bird Buddy Feeder.

Bully Mourning Doves. I enjoy watching the birds in flight in the background.

Any bets if the new camera with be sharper and better than the old one? At least it will start of cleaner and look more in focus!

What are the most exotic birds you have at your home?

Is bird watching something you like to do?

Do you know who is an avid bird watcher? Sam Darnold QB1 for the Seahawks on his way to the Super Bowl.

Flyers

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A dove took off, being forced from the birdseed by a covey of quail.

When I looked through my old photos from last January’s intro to photography class, I found quite a few of birds in flight. I remember trying and trying to catch them flying and found it was almost impossible. So, it was surprising to see a few that were okay. If you missed my post Wednesday, I posted old photos of Red HERE.

I found this view of a stately predator to be fascinating.

Doves in flight.

Quail sound like jets planes taking off.

Harris’s Hawk landing on a mesquite tree.

A Harris’s Hawk flying from a Century Plant.

A hawk I caught right before he flew off the neighbor’s roof.

This is a framed photo of birds in flight that is hanging in our living room. Gary Gruber has a lengthy career as a photographer that includes street photography, public relations, landscapes and more. We worked together back in my PR days and I remember helping him in his booth at a juried art show in La Quinta. Now he has photography in a gallery in Palm Desert. You should spend some time looking through his photography on his website HERE. His work is stunning and will brighten your day! Here’s a photo from his Birds on a wire tab.

Happy Friday! Any exciting plans for the weekend?

Hawks, Red and the Moon

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This is a moon shot I took seven months ago with a Century Plant. I ran out of space on my current SD card, so I went through some in my camera case to look for one with space. I enjoyed looking back on photography from my “intro” class. I was surprised with some decent shots, which I will share here.

I found this photo of Red as a slim young guy.

Three hawks on the same Century Plant as in the moon photo.

A fluffed up Harris’s Hawk.

Another Harris’s Hawk. I heard a hawk yesterday. They have a distinctive call. I realized that it’s been a long time since one visited our yard. I do see them swooping overhead every time I drive.

Then wouldn’t you know it? Just as I thought I haven’t seen one for a while, one flew into a tree in our backyard. I tried to get a good photo, but he is behind some twigs and leaves.

Here’s the photo I took yesterday:

I have a better lens now then the one I used for most of the earlier photos. I don’t know if you can tell the difference or not.

Happy Friday! What exciting plans to you have for the weekend?

When Birds Pant

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Saturday four Harris’s Hawks flew in and out of my backyard. I enjoyed getting their photos, but unfortunately never captured them taking off. They are so dramatic in flight, but I’m too slow with the camera.

I noticed they were panting! I’ve never see a bird pant before. You’ll notice on several of these pictures that their tongues are hanging out! Maybe they cool off just like dogs do through their tongues.

They are such majestic, beautiful birds. And no little birds were bothered during their recent visit.

Along with the top photo, this hawk was panting.

This guy looks like he’s posing for me!

Another panting hawk!

This was the last guy left in my yard. Then he flew on the neighbor’s chimney. Unfortunately, I missed the flight from our fence to the roof.

I had to look up if the Harris’s Hawks were actually panting — or if it was some other type of behavior. Here’s what I found:

Yes, Harris’s hawks do pant. Panting is a common avian behavior used to regulate body temperature, especially in hot weather or after exertion. Harris’s hawks, like other birds, rely on panting to cool down when they overheat, according to the National Audubon Society. 

There you have it. Harris’s Hawks do pant when they get hot. We’ve had temperatures hovering around 110 degrees. Yes, I’d be panting too if I was out of our AC.

Have you heard of birds panting before?

What other animals do you suppose pant when they’re hot?

What a Coinkydink!

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The Harris’s hawks have stopped by a couple days in a row. I got nervous when Red was hanging out on the fence near them. But he’s quicker than a hawk.

Whew to the end of another busy week! I had a birthday Monday. On Sunday, our Palm Springs friends, who moved one mile from us, invited us to Sunday brunch to celebrate my day. A friend and neighbor invited six women from our charity group to a French restaurant for appetizers and wine on Tuesday. Wednesday evening I had a board meeting — the last one before our annual fundraiser. Thursday morning was our coffee group and it was my turn to host. All that entails is picking a location (a local coffee shop), sending an email out to the coffee club, then calling the coffee shop with the number attending. Oh, and showing up…

All this while finishing the eight-page program for our fundraiser, writing plus photography class.

We had a good group of eight women for coffee and breakfast. The woman who hosted the French appetizer night was there. She’s the one who roped me into the charity group that helps raise funds for the Dream Center, the recovery, residential facility for sex-trafficked victims. I should say invited me to join, not roped me in. It’s just been a little too much work for me lately.

The conversation at coffee had us telling the other ladies about the charity group, our upcoming fundraiser, plus facts about the Dream Center and sex-trafficked boys, girls and women. (The Dream Center actually has a facility for young girls ages four to 12!)

A man was sitting at a booth across from our table. He approached us and said, “Forgive me, but I was eavesdropping.” Then he squatted near the end of the table and said, “I work for the largest organization in the nation that rescues and helps sex-trafficked victims.”

“What’s the name of it?” I asked.

“The Dream Center,” he said.

My neighbor and I said “Wow. We’re raising funds for you. We have a charity event next weekend.”

Like my daughter always said, “What a Coinkydink!”

I’ve written about visiting the Phoenix Dream Center HERE.

What are some coincidences you’ve had, or if you prefer coinkydink?

A week of saying “NO”

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I had a quick visit by a Harris’s Hawk the other day. I was writing an article for my HOA newsletter about Harris Hawks and my proofreading newsletter partner told me it’s Harris’s Hawks. It doesn’t seem grammatically correct, but I looked it up and that’s what it is.

I had a super busy week with an upcoming charity event that I’m responsible for creating the program plus all publicity. Then there’s the aforementioned HOA newsletter plus my photography reading and assignment.

I also had lots of social activities including traveling to a wedding this weekend, luncheons with speakers, my weekly zoom call and dinner out with friends.

So, to preserve my sanity and to do my work I started saying “No” to lots of social stuff. I realized I didn’t need to spend hours at luncheons listening to speakers. I didn’t have to sit for two hours on the zoom call. I did say yes to going out to dinner, since it was an early bday dinner. Our friends will be on vacation during my actual date of birth.

By saying “No” a few times, I got work done and I could breathe.

Here are some fun facts about Harris’s Hawks:

These social and intelligent raptors are known for their remarkable behaviors and unique characteristics.

Harris’s Hawks have dark brown plumage, with reddish-brown feathers on the wings and upper thighs. The upper tail coverts are almost black with a white rump and a white band on the tail. When viewed from underneath, the inner wings and underwing coverts are reddish-brown.

They are 18 to 23 inches long. They weight from 18 to 30 ounces.

Their wingspan is 40 to 47 inches.

Harris’s Hawks live in the United States and Mexico, but migrate to South America for the winter. Their migration is driven by the need for prey items, such as small mammals or reptiles, which cannot survive harsh northern winters.

Their diet consists of large insects, small mammals such as squirrels, desert cottontail, and mice. They may also prey on larger animals like great blue herons, jackrabbits, young wild turkeys, quail, or doves when opportunities arise.

In the wild, their lifespan is 10 to 12 years. 

 Harris’s Hawks possess excellent color vision, which is one of the best among animals. Their vision is so sharp that they can perceive details and colors, making them efficient hunters.

Young Harris’s Hawks typically remain with their parents for up to three years, forming strong family bonds and learning valuable hunting skills during this time.

When do you say no?