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The reddish chest and distinctive checkered wing pattern indicate this is a Red-shouldered hawk common to our region. They enjoy hunting from a perch in treetops or on wires.
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A grouping of hawks is known as a "cast" and we have a full cast in our corner of the city with one of the few remaining undeveloped parcels behind us providing plenty of small prey.
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Flying away into the trees for better hunting without the intrusion of my camera lens.
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We've had a good deal of rain the last few weeks and the deer have been showing off their dance moves in the creek.
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They always seem to enjoy prancing in the water after a rain
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"How can I dance like nobody's watching if I know you're watching?"
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Be sure to head over to "My gardener says..." to see Tina's winter birds post and check out more blogger's Wildlife Wednesday links.
Every time I see a deer my heart does this melty thing. i wish I had the words to express how beautiful I think they are. This must be hawk season. Seems like everyone is seeing them everywhere! Great photos. You really captured the red of the feathers.
ReplyDeleteI did notice there were a number of hawks in the links so it could be the hunting is better this time of year.
DeleteAs always, great shots, Shirley. I'm so glad you're not shy about including the deer. I know they can be pests, but I'm glad you really appreciate their place in and near your gardens. Even if they mess with your agave from time-to-time.
ReplyDeleteThe hawk photos are great. It's hard to get really good shot when birds fly (darn them!)--these are terrific! I enjoy this time of year just because it's easy to observe the raptors.
Thanks for joining in!!
Birds do have an annoying habit of flitting or flying off just when you get them focused in. The deer are the major wildlife we see each day so they must be included.
DeleteWow oh wow - those hawk photos! They are such graceful flyers and you caught that perfectly with your series of shots. I see plenty of deer - mostly grazing my landscaping - but I'd love to be able to see them dancing around in a shallow creek. That is adorable indeed (and so well captioned - you have a gift!).
ReplyDeleteThe deer can be entertaining if they would just stick natural foraging and leave the garden alone!
DeleteCast - one learns something new everyday :) with their aloof nature I can just imagine how special and exciting it must have felt when one ventured relatively near to your. Regal birds they are!
ReplyDeleteIt is fun to look up the names for each group of birds since they are all so different. Graceful and regal they are.
DeleteBeautiful in-flight photos of the hawk. They seem to be everywhere these days. I wish I could get a shot like that! Love the deer, such antlers! What a beautiful post!
ReplyDeleteI take a lot of photos and only a few make it to the blog so there are a lot of misses.
DeleteGreat shots Shirley. Red-tailed hawks are visible daily circling blow us but I've never been able to get a decent picture. I've only seen one swoop though our garden space twice,
ReplyDeleteI enjoy their circling patterns but the photos usually look like specks in the sky. It's rare and I try to keep the camera ready for all sorts of events like this.
DeleteA beautiful hawk! Your deer are always a delight to see, knowing that they're a few thousand miles from my garden!
ReplyDeleteYou would need a complete rework of your garden if they ever showed up. Many of those great plants wouldn't last a minute!
DeleteGreat photos! I love the last picture of the deer facing the camera. Happy Wildlife Wednesday!
ReplyDeleteThey can be amusing, it's funny how they are not wild yet not exactly tame either.
DeleteWhat an exciting post and great photos, we do not have deer visit our garden but escapee Muntjac deer from a nearby deer park (with 9 species) do live in the woods at the top of our lane. Where is the river in relation to you?
ReplyDeleteWe have a similar issue with exotic Axis deer which have escaped from local ranches. They have different habits than our native whitetail deer and are more of a problem as they move closer to town. The creek runs just a few yards off our back deck and only has water during rains. We can see it from our back windows.
DeleteYesterday a hawk caught a white wing dove above the crepe myrtle tree next to our driveway and there were feathers hanging on the branches. It was pretty and sad all at the same time. When you live where we do you see the circle of life every day.
ReplyDeleteThat part is not the easiest of having all this wildlife around. It's amazing how much we see so close to town. I think the creeks and green areas help to keep the wildlife going.
DeleteThose deer shots are priceless. I love seeing them prancing and playing in the water....seems we both wrote about our deer.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to check that out Donna.
DeleteGreat photos! How exciting to be surround by such so much wildlife. The hawk looks so majestic and I love the deer playing in the stream : )
ReplyDeleteWatching them enjoy the water in the creek is a favorite thing about having deer in the garden.
DeleteINCREDIBLE...having a meal on your deck and seeing so much....you guys have the best spot in San Antone!
ReplyDeleteIt is a fun spot which surprises a lot of visitors when they see where we live!
DeleteA hawk is always a stirring sight. When we drive south, we see them perched on fenceposts and in treetops (waiting for road kill, I suspect).You would think we would have become inured to the charms of deer by now, but they still fascinate and entertain. Ours are browner and the pronghorns are too crafty to show themselves, so I'm loving your photos.
ReplyDeleteThat hawk would wait a while for road kill on my street. Our whitetails have no problem walking right up to the house and helping themselves to plants right under the windows.
DeleteI'm impressed with how many hawks have been spotted in gardens this month, and yours is no exception! Your red-shouldered hawk looks much larger than my more petite Cooper's Hawk. I bet he/she was a breath-taking site while soaring over your gardens!
ReplyDeleteGreat shots!
ReplyDeleteWe have quite a few hawks around here. I love to watch them, although all the other birds go into hiding.
We had a pair of red-shouldered ones last summer. They soared and screamed for hours one day. One seemed to be looking for something. We wondered if some other hawk had raided their nest, and they were searching for a dropped baby. It was quite a show.
I occasionally see hawks here, too, but they're usually the smaller hawks. They often go after the slow moving morning doves. My area is too built up for large groups of raptors but I love seeing the few that we do get. I really love your second shot. Excellent!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful deer!
ReplyDeleteWe have Red-Tailed Hawks and Red-Shouldered Hawks here in Mississippi. They look a lot alike. Unless I get a photo of them flying, as you did, so I can clearly see their tails, I can't tell them apart.
I enjoy reading your blog.
Lea