Today I was taking advantage of the sunshine to rake leaves in the back yard. Few birds were nearby, except some chickadees at feeders about 50' away. I looked up to see an immature female Coopers Hawk perched on a fence about 20 feet away from me. It was paying no attention to me, but was watching an azalea shrub where House Sparrows hang out. I continued to work, wishing I had a camera at hand. After 3 or 4 minutes the hawk flew away. While accipiters are not rare in the back yard, I don't recall ever seeing one perched so close while I was outside.
Cliff Comeau
Beltsville/Calverton PG County
|