Grosbeak, Goshawk & Merlin

It was a grey and drizzly afternoon, so there were not the usual Sunday crowds at Reifel. The Red Crossbill were apparently still around this morning, but I did not catch up with them today. A Great Horned Owl was along the east dyke trail along with the usual Northern Saw-whet Owls and some Common Redpoll on the inside trails. The Evening Grosbeak were also back.

Evening Grosbeak
Evening Grosbeak

I had a fleeting moment to try for a couple of shots,

Evening Grosbeak
Evening Grosbeak

… and only managed these before they moved back into the tree tops. Shooting up into the trees on a day like today is not ideal with the bright grey background. So as luck would have it with these conditions, what showed up in the tree tops across from the tower later on?

Northern Goshawk
Northern Goshawk

The Northern Goshawk that has been around for some time, but I had yet to get any photos of. And as if to add insult to injury,

Merlin
Merlin

… a Merlin shows up in the same tree not long after it left. What are the odds of this repeating itself on a sunny afternoon?