The day got better as it progressed and this afternoon’s walk was back to the North 40. No sign of the Bullock’s Oriole today, but while checking for them a familiar “pek pek” got my attention. It was coming from a tree behind me, one frequently used as a staging area by the Cooper’s Hawk pair.
The adult male Cooper’s Hawk was on a branch inside the tree with prey in its talons. I could not make out what it had before he flew off towards the nesting area.
With nest on the mind, I made my way to an area where I had previously seen some Tree Swallow activity and suspected there was a nest.
It did not take long after arriving before I could see the adults arriving and feeding the young in the nest.
While you can only see two here, I could make out at least three at one time. They look to be a good size and crowded in there, so it will probably not be long before they fledge.
One other fun shot from this afternoon,
… was this Squirrel stretched down the trunk of a tree eating leaves.
