Before the Freeze!

A Red-tailed Hawk patiently watched for his next snack this morning. The trails in the area have obvious signs of mice and other rodents, so the hawk had chosen an excellent location for hunting! Juvenile Red-tails don't get red feathers until the start of their second year. Instead they have brown barred tails, as seen on the above individual.

https://www.audubon.org/news/10-fun-facts-about-red-tailed-hawk

After a few cool nights, we had slightly warmer temperatures on Dec. 10th. A male Northern Cardinal enjoyed a lengthy bath in Canatara Park.

With the current cold conditions, it will likely be awhile before birds can bathe in our waterways. It's time to set up our heated backyard bird bath.

A few years ago, Wild Turkey were commonly found in Canatara park. Coyotes have likely kept the population in check. Four Turkeys were found this week!

Wild Turkeys travel in flocks and search on the ground for nuts, berries, insects, and snails. They use their strong feet to scratch leaf litter out of the way.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/wild_turkey/id

House Sparrow, hiding in the vines.

A Carolina Wren is "hiding" in the very centre of the photo! It was pecking at food wedged under the tree bark and occasionally peeked back at me.