Wildlife Wednesday March 2018

It's the first Wednesday of March and that means Wildlife Wednesday hosted by Tina at "My Gardener Says....".  With windy. cloudy, chilly days still outnumbering clear warm days wildlife sightings are slow.

A Red-shouldered Hawk landed on a low branch just long enough to pose for photos.  I'm pretty sure this is a Red-shouldered Hawk since they are the most often sighted soaring high above open fields in our neighborhood.

They are in the process of teaching their yearlings to fly with much squawking and screeching several times a day.

Butterflies are returning to the garden but were not most cooperative in posing.  This Black Swallowtail butterfly mesmerized by Texas Mountain Laurel blooms was an exception.   The profile shot shows the swallowtail outline beautifully.

I followed for a while trying to get a photo of open wings.  Almost.  Score a yellow sulphur butterfly along with the swallowtail.  Large dark patches inside the wings indicate a clouded sulphur.

Two whitetail doe grazing behind the fence but probably not touching the prickly agarita in the foreground.  The odd angle gives a good view of the tail.  They are preparing to give birth and increase the herd yet again.

Check out the comments section at "My Gardener Says..." for more blogger backyard wildlife.

Wildlife Wednesday February 2015: Hawk on a Wire!

Almost every day we hear hawks screeching as they hunt the field out back.  We see them soaring gracefully along the woods, searching for their prey.  Occasionally they dive into the tree tops in pursuit, creating a commotion and cries of protests from their intended targets.  Rarely will a hawk come close enough to the house where we can get a good look.  That's why it was such a surprise to see one sitting on the wire out front.  I'm joining Tina at "My gardener says..." for Wildlife Wednesday this first Wednesday in February.