Photos that Tell a Story: “I’ve had an opportunity to watch a Cooper’s Hawk since January, 2023, when it was a juvenile.”

Friday August 23, 2024

Home » ECBA News » Photos that Tell a Story: “I’ve had an opportunity to watch a Cooper’s Hawk since January, 2023, when it was a juvenile.”

Photo story courtesy of Abbott Schindler

I’ve had an opportunity to watch a Cooper’s Hawk since January, 2023, when it was a juvenile. I was able to photograph the bird from as close as 15 feet, although it was usually 30-40 feet away. I decided it was a female, because it’s pretty darn big for a Cooper’s.

As summer arrived, the youngster delivered a number of fashion shows, which I was delighted to watch.

There’s a nice hedge about 20′ from my viewing spot, and the hawk was fascinated by something in it. While the fashion shows were great to see, the hedge behavior fascinated me.

I eventually found the attraction: the hawk was hearing juncos and really wanted a nibble. At one point I saw her dart out from the hedge in hot pursuit of a junco (the junco got away). And so it went through summer: I’ve got hundreds of shots of this beautiful bird doing a variety of things. She flew off last fall.

Talk about adrenaline: she was on my deck, about 15′ in front of me (I’m indoors) when she took off straight at me! It turned out that there was a dead junco on a table in front of me that she apparently thought about, and then left.

I’m pretty sure that she’s returned this year. A beautiful, large Cooper’s hawk has been making passes in my front yard since spring. I think it’s the same bird because it’s doing a lot of the same things the juvenile did, including “fashion shows”.

And sometimes, when I’m dining on my deck, the bird swoops in low over my head, hoping to catch a bird (except that they always seem to see her coming).

ECBA News >

Announcements

The Pinyon Jay

Here in Central Oregon, for over 10 years, ECBA volunteer Kevin Smith has invested his time and inspired others to report sitings of Pinyon Jays, and over the last 5 years Ken Hashagen, together with Kevin, have helped provide banding data to ODFW and the USGS Birding Lab. Now ECBA volunteers and the USFWS have an exciting opportunity to work together to study these birds in a brand new way! Photo courtesy of Abbott Schindler

Oregon Desert Land Trust

Oregon Desert Land Trust is a local non-profit that is uniquely focused on conserving Oregon’s high desert, a region covering a quarter of the state and spanning more than ten million acres. Trout Creek, photographer, Jarrod Messman

Are you an ECBA Volunteer ?

ECBA now uses Track it Forward to help volunteers keep track of volunteer time

Greater Sage-Grouse Project progress 2023-2024

Late last October, 2023 about twenty ECBA volunteers rendezvoused at the ECBA Brothers Project, just north of Highway 20 and about forty miles east of Bend, to begin creating the largest demonstration of native forb restoration in the Great Basin. All photos courtesy of Stu Garrett and Josh Collins

Announcements, Volunteer Opportunities

Pollinator Pathway Bend

Facing threats like habitat loss, disease, invasive species and a changing climate, Central Oregon’s birds, bats, bees, butterflies and moths need your help! Photo courtesy of Barb Rumer

Fourth Annual Bird Days of Summer

Join Bird Alliance of Oregon for their Fourth Annual Bird Days of Summer with a series of free and laid back outings, perfect for nature lovers of all ages. These 10 events are located in Harney County and Malheur National Wildlife Refuge.

All Updates from ECBA