For the Birds

Oh, they are beautiful birds, grackles. 

Until they mob everything.  

You can't see the hanging feeders, but I have gone through 15 cakes of 

suet this week because the grackles have taken over. 

Very few other birds are getting into the yard. 

There were a few cardinals, but they usually eat after the grackles go home. 

A few sparrows and chickadees... and some red-winged blackbirds. 

Starlings are few and far between, the grackles have run them off. 

We have had a few other visitors that don't come really close. 

I hope to put a nesting box up for them this year. 

So, I have been watching for the Big White Bird. 

Everyday when we go down this gravel road, I look for it. 

Remember, I thought it was a pelican or something? 

I took the big lens on my way to church last night, and LOOK! 

It is a huge white hawk... I have never, ever seen them, and they appear 

to actually be from the southern U.S. and Mexico.  What it is doing here 

I do not know, but it is out there again today, we saw it. 

It has a much larger wingspan that the red-tails and red-shoulders that are around here. 

Here is some information.

If anyone thinks it is anything else, please tell me.  It is just a beautiful bird. 

On my way home from church, I saw him again. 

Okay, picture this.  I have a HUGE lens, a gift from Keith for my birthday... it is huge... 

I follow two professional photographers on Facebook and youtube... and they 

rarely use a tripod.  I have a beautiful tripod... but I got out of the 

car with this humongous lens on the camera, and I'm in the middle of 

a gravel road, snapping pictures as fast as I can.  I don't take a lot anymore, 

but this bird is too unusual. 

I took a series. 

I'm sure anyone who could see me from a quarter mile away thought I was nuts. 

It ended up in the top of this tree. 

Oddly enough, the red shouldered hawk is in this neighborhood too, but I have not seen it now for ten days. 

I HAVE seen the northern harrier. 

He is so elusive!

He has that distinctive white spot on his tail. 

Let's not forget the cheerful little harbingers of spring, either! 

PEE ESS... AS THE DOGS WOULD SAY....

I just looked more at white hawks... here is what I think I am seeing: 

A Leucistic Red Tailed Hawk that has moved into the neighborhood, however, the wing span IS huge. 

It looks almost like this picture from the web.