Birds in the Rain

Living 24/7 in the elements has its drawbacks.

The few and far between rains have made this bird's hunt more difficult.

The bedraggled juvenile Cooper's Hawk landed in our backyard rather wet and somewhat dejected after an unsuccessful attack on the Mourning Dove flock.

All animals must deal with the elements. Whether they get stressed by the rain is uncertain.

Curve-billed Thrashers only live in a dry environment where rains are rare.

Luckily, he doesn't have to put up with this indignity that often.

Too much or too little rain doesn't faze a Cactus Wren.

The Cactus Wren rarely drinks water. Instead s/he gets all his water requirements from the insects he eats.

Rain is a threat for the Broad-billed Hummingbird though. At 0.12 ounce, a hail stone could remove this tiny bird from the picture.

Resting on a thorn in the open, this one is making the best of a wet situation.

The Abert's Towhee in a dry land, ground dwelling bird. Pairing up for life to sing in the desert underbrush, they survive on insects and seeds. Slippery rocks won't phase them either.

Hear their sweet song at:  https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Aberts_Towhee/

As for the wet Cooper's Hawk, s/he might make a meal of any of the previously mentioned birds, with the possible exception of the Broad-billed Hummingbird. There's just not enough there to make that effort.

Six or seven hours later in the afternoon sunshine, he had dove for dinner.

Allan
(Click any picture to enlarge)
Credits: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds
The Sibley's Guide to Birds

Cooper's Hawk Portraits

The neighborhood Cooper's Hawk lands on our railing twenty feet out our patio door. 

S/he visits several times a day in hopes of scoring a meal. 

I haven't witnessed any carnage lately, (i.e. feathers), so to be in good health, he must be eating regularly some place else.

A breeze from the Big Wash ruffles his young feathers.

I stand half inside the doorway. He certainly sees me. I'm not advancing, but he's not leaving either. I am close enough for portraits.

He turns his head in robotic start/stop motions, taking in every sight and sound. His head reacts to every shutter click. He's that close. He's not fazed.

He gave me a few exciting minutes. He even dropped to the ground and came back to the same spot on the railing.

But then he glides down into the wash and is gone.

I like to think he was tail-waving me good-bye here, though I could be wrong.

(Click any picture to enlarge)

Allan

Soggy Cooper's Hawk

Our resident Cooper's Hawk made an attack on the local bird life, but missed.  An explosion of doves and quails alerted me.

Rain is a rare event here in the desert, so that may have played a part in the miss.

When it flew to the fence, it spread its wings to dry off.

Either its neck was wet or it saw something overhead. As he dried out he relaxed his wingspread a bit.

The hawk regularly hunts this neighborhood, but is usually not this accommodating to pictures. I took all the pictures I wanted at a respectful distance.

Eventually only one wing remained damp.

A moment later a misguided dove landed on the roof in the Cooper's Hawk's sight lines. The Cooper's Hawk took off in a burst of speed.

The dove got away again and the Cooper's drifted down into the desert... hungry.

Allan

Cooper's Hawk (may be disturbing)

Our resident Cooper's Hawk was having a difficult moment.

Coughing up a pellet isn't a pleasant experience, judging by this juvenile's contortions.

It's just necessary.

Twisting, bending and bowing all combined to make the petulant pellet appear, so it was all worth it.

(Click any picture to enlarge.)

This all happens seconds before a smaller unwitting bird lands right in front of him.

Wings collapsed, the young hawk drops to the ground, out of sight...

...only to rise with his next meal.

Allan

Three Harris's Hawks

When doves, quail and all else exploded from the bird feeder, I imagined the local Cooper's Hawk had made another surprise visit over our house.

Grabbing my camera, I went to capture the 'remains.'

No remains, no Cooper's Hawk, but three Harris's Hawks were perched at the gable end of our neighbor's house... empty handed.

I'm fairly sure they saw me standing below, but for the longest time they didn't mind my interest in them.

When one adult flew away, it was quickly followed by the other.

That left, I believe, a juvenile, judging by the crying and screaming.

S/he, too, was free to leave, but remained minutes more... leaving hungry.

They are welcome back any time, however dinner here is pot-luck.

Allan
(Click any picture to enlarge)

Cooper's Hawk

A loud 'thud' alerts me to the surprise attack of a Cooper's Hawk. The low-flying Cooper's Hawk is targeting Mourning Doves feeding late one afternoon.

Panicked, one Mourning Dove flies into the sky's reflection on our patio window. Striking it, the dove is stunned, but unhurt and gets away. 

The hawk ends the chase and comes to rest on the patio railing.

Catching his balance on the slick railing is challenging though.

He searches for a firm grip along the railing... none found.

It's all slippery!

When he's just about to lose it and tumble over the side, he catches his balance again.

OK, now it's working! But this hunt is over. He might as well move on.

Surprise is the Cooper's Hawk only chance of catching a meal and he certainly WAS a surprise to the doves, just not surprising enough.

Sill, he's surprisingly elegant in his many profiles.

Allan

Cooper's Hawk

Surprise is a predator's most worthy asset.

Being one with your environment helps make predation happen. Resting motionless on a monochrome backdrop, a Cooper's Hawk watches for a dining opportunity.

Soaring quietly overhead is another stealthy approach to finding a meal.

The Cooper's Hawk is mainly a bird hunter. Typical prey includes doves, pigeons and starlings, but robins, jays and even chickens are also targets.

Though mostly in the West, small mammals like bats, chipmunks, squirrels and hares round out the Cooper's Hawks' diet.

This juvenile Cooper's Hawk looks healthy and well-fed, still, he concentrates on something of interest in the Sonoran Desert behind our home in Tucson, AZ.

Rainfall is rare in the desert, yet it happens.

Coping with the indignities of a wet feather coat once in a while comes with the territory.

(Click any picture to enlarge.)

This juvenile Cooper's Hawk is a frequent visitor on our patio.

Surprisingly, as I write this a Cooper's Hawk startled the birds on our platform feeder into panic flight. I looked up quickly enough only to see a Cooper's Hawk dart through the scattering birds. I missed the capture, but watched as a cascade of dove feathers floated back to earth.

The hawk had a meal.

It was the cycle of life playing out once again on a sunny Sunday morning.

Allan

Credits: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds
The Sibley Guide to Birds

Hummingbirds

It's not all peace and love in this Arizona winter garden. The decreasing blossoms are coveted by a steadily increasing number of hungry hummingbirds.

The remaining flowers are violently fought over, all be it on a minute scale.

For such a tiny bird, hummingbirds have an oversized appetite for fighting.

They will even take on a bird a hundred times their size. This Cooper's Hawk gets an escort while only passing through this Anna's Hummingbird's territory.

There isn't a hint of hawk anxiety or thoughts of changing course. The hummingbird's nerve is commendable.

Confronting intruders with your head on fire is this Costa's preferred offense. Most times it works. They are colorful, quick and oh so agile.

If flowers are worth fighting over and that seems to be so, the hummingbirds have staked out their claim on this garden.

It likely to get harder and harder to defend though, as winter in Arizona marches on.

Allan

Credits: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds

Cooper's Hawk vs Mourning Dove

A ghostly bird image marks our patio window.

Windows remove millions of birds from this world every year. It's a modern danger birds don't see or understand until the last moment...often too late.

This crash resulted from of a high speed chase by a Cooper's Hawk.

Moments earlier a flock of Mourning Dove was cautiously collecting seeds among the rocks. The hawk's arrival was low and fast. Suddenly, they exploded in all directions. The hawk simply targeted the nearest and slowest.  This unfolded right in front of me...only the window glass separated us.

The Cooper's Hawk failed to capture a Mourning Dove in the air...the window nearly did her in.

She lay injured on the patio bricks delirious and drooping, not knowing what just happened. The hawk returned to pick her up, but saw me through the glass, fluttered in the air for a moment and flew away.

In this case, my presence was tipping the balance of nature in the dove's favor. Still, I chose not to remove myself from this event.

The hawk landed on a railing to assess the chances of reclaiming his prize.

If this is a male Cooper's Hawk he was likely only hunting for himself. But someday he must provide food for a mate while she sits on eggs for a month, and later to feed his family. This could be three months of continuous hunting for him. Missing a meal then could be serious.

He decided on his own to leave.

The Mourning Dove staggered to temporary cover under a chair. We both knew she was badly hurt. She had a neck wound and a damaged wing.

She remained in hiding throughout the next day. I put out food and water for her, but I don't know if she helped herself to it.

Nature was running its course.

A little food and water is all I'll do to further affect an outcome that happens thousands of times each day.

Allan

(Click any picture to enlarge.)

Credits: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds
Sibley's Guide to Birds

Cooper's Hawk Juveniles

Keeping yourself entertained while your parents are hunting is a struggle for a first-year Cooper's Hawk.

One can only stretch and twist, bounce and bob for so long before it becomes boring.

I discovered two young Cooper's Hawk siblings in Lake Park, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. One examined my every move while the other lost interest in me quickly.

Only able to fly short distances and unpracticed at hunting, they mark time together in a narrow park ravine.

With nothing to do, but wait to be fed, this is a good opportunity to explore one's own body...grooming is important.  Grooming removes dirt, debris and parasites, along with realigning the feather shaft for airworthiness.

People watching helped pass time, too.
If people and dogs stay on the path the Cooper's Hawks were content to hang around, provided a respectable distance was maintained.

But, I strayed one step too close.

That immediately prompted rethinking the margin of safety in the sibling minds.

Would they accept me?

The answer was 'no'.

They both flew away.

I would have enjoyed their company for longer, but it wasn't up to me.

I had all the pictures I was going to get this day.

(CORRECTION: I'm told the last three photographs in this story are not a juvenile Cooper's Hawk, but instead a juvenile Merlin. A Merlin has a faint malar (mustache) and a Merlin's tail is slightly different. I trust this is the case and I am noting it here to reflect that fact. The diet of the Merlin and the Cooper's Hawk is similar, with the Merlin taking other birds, mostly. Thanks to Todd Fellenbaum for sharing his knowledge of birds.)


But, I found juvenile Merlin in Theinsville Village Park, also in September.

He was quite agreeable with having his picture taken. He posed in a tall tree for longer than I cared to remain.

He seems to be giving me the equivalent of a high five, even though he doesn't have the digits for it. I doubt he knows the meaning of the gesture and had little to celebrate quite yet anyway.

 He too was waiting to be fed.

He is too young to hunt. He's safe in the park while his parents find food for him. His father has provided nearly all the food for his mother and him for the past ninety days. 

His care will continue until he's able to hunt the Merlin's main food...other birds and small rodents. 

He watches the people below as well as the fish in the river.  Poised for action yet still lacking the skills of a hunter, he never-the-less displays the potential of a powerful falcon.

(Click any picture to enlarge.)

Allan

Credits: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds

The Sibley Guide to Birds, David Allen Sibley

Desert Birds in the Snow

                          Although snow in rare in the desert, new moisture is always welcome.
These two Curved-billed Thrashers seem puzzled, as snow covers their cactus. Possibly never having experienced snow before, they appear confused...What's this all about?

Although the desert is typically hot and dry, desert snows will develop when atmospheric conditions are right.

As welcome as snow is for some, snow makes finding food harder, especially for the ground dwelling birds like the Mourning Doves.

A young Cooper's Hawk may consider snow an advantage. Cooper's Hawks hunt other birds and may benefit from a white blanket of snow highlighting their prey.  S/he soars quietly with minimal effort looking for a meal.

Snow doesn't last long in the desert and a bird's search for food resumes quickly.

A common sight in the dry southwestern desert is the Ladder-backed Woodpecker.

This Ladder-backed circles sideways in search of insects. Insects hide in cracks and crevices.

His stiff tail supports him upright.

Insects can hide in inaccessible places, too, so finding them takes a bit of dexterity and daring for this Orange-crowned Warbler.

(Click any picture to enlarge)


The Cactus Wren is a year-round desert resident...winter cold to summer heat.

As the wren family's largest member, the Cactus Wren is well adapted to find enough moisture in food to survive in arid lands.

Snow melts beneath the Anna's Hummingbird as he awakes from torpor. Torpor is a state of lethargy where the bird's internal temperature drops and breathing and heart rate slows.

This conserves the tiny energy stores the Anna's Hummingbird possesses. Approximately the size of a ping-pong ball and the weight of a nickel...depletion of energy reserves could be fatal during a cold night.

The warmth he needs to rise each morning is provided by the sun. Arizona's dry air and intense sunshine brings him back to life to reflect the sunrise.

The Pyrrhuloxia is a tough-old-bird. He gets most, if not all, the moisture he needs from the food he eats...rarely drinking. As a seed-eating, ground-dwelling bird, capable of surviving in temperatures well over one-hundred degrees Fahrenheit he is well suited for the arid southwest.

Snow doesn't bother him and he seldom ventures out of the desert. Related to the more common red Northern Cardinal of the eastern two-thirds of the United States, and similar in appearance, the Desert Cardinal is quite comfortable when the cacti are covered in snow.

Allan

Credit: Cornell Lab of Ornithology, All About Birds
Credit: The Sibley Guide to Birds