Crows and Cooper's Hawk.

July 6, 2001 

This morning there is a group of crows(Corvus brachyrhynchos) sitting in an Oak tree out back.  Most times when the crows see me they split. Looks like they're gonna hang this time. I grab the camera, a black bird in deep shadows with high contrast highlights should be interesting.

Juvenile Crow.

This Crow is not black, it's a  juvie, was hatched this summer. Just learning to fly,  its color is a chocolate brown,  the older he gets, the darker he will become.

Adult Crow

This is one of the two adult crows. Parents of the juvie, teaching it to find its own food and to build up those flight feathers. Sound of a repeating bird scream gets my Attention. I look up and at the top of another tall Oak is perched a Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) and the reason the crows are laying low! 





A Cooper's Hawk is a good reason to lay low.  This hawk will fly thru the forest canopy at full speed in hot pursuit of its bird prey.

Cooper's Hawk making his presence known.

I see you!

Fireworks

July 5, 2011 - Fireworks

These are photos of fireworks my neighbor set off. He works on the 4th, so on the 5th he gives himself and the neighborhood a private fireworks show.

(Click on photos to see enlargement)