Last evening my husband called me to the kitchen window - come quick! I was amazed to see a hawk on the driveway tearing apart its prey. I felt bad for the dove - but I realize that the hawk has to eat. Far better that a hungry hawk get it rather than a domestic cat or dog, who would usually only kill it for "fun"! I believe this is a sharp-shinned hawk. We watched him for a few minutes, and then he flew with his dinner to a nearby tree.
A few days ago five turkeys - four males and one female - came around to the pasture. (No hunting is permitted on our property. It is turkey hunting season here in TN, but those that squat on our land are safe!) It was obvious they were all vying for the female's attention, and four of them looked on enviously while one guy strutted his stuff!
A friend made us two new birdhouses. My husband put one up fairly close to the house and I had my doubts about anything using it. Well, thankfully I was proven wrong several days ago when the chickadees took it over. Then, a few days later, the bluebirds decided that they wanted it. It was fun to watch the battle of wills between them, but in the end the bluebirds drove the chickadees away. These pictures aren't that great; it was a foggy morning when I took them. Look closely and you can see one bluebird on top of the house and two chickadees in the bushes to the right of the birdhouse. The chickadees are planning their next move, but the bluebirds are confident that by the end of the day, they'll win, and they did. Soon we watched them bringing grasses in to build their nest.
What a gorgeous day! A day that feels like spring in the air! A day to be outside doing things! Wash the vehicles! Paint those new bluebird houses our friend gave us! Repot some houseplants in the potting shed! Such a nice break from the freezing temps we've had for the past few weeks. Just three days ago it was 10 degrees in the morning. This morning it was 42, and now it is 65.
I appreciate this warm weather, but -- it isn't natural. This is a symptom of global warming - the extremes in temperatures, the chaotic shift in weather patterns across the country. Yet, I will enjoy this warm weather while it lasts.A hawk has been spending a lot of time on top of our martin house for the past month or so. It makes a great vantage point from which he can easily spot prey scurrying around on the ground below.
These aren't the greatest pics, but thought I'd take a break from my writing and put them on my blog. I have discovered that pictures upload quicker on photo bucket than they do on here, so I upload them to photo bucket and then simply copy and past the direct link.
