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Our Cooper’s hawk was back on the deck railing yesterday and this time he was in full hunting mode.
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The dreaded red squirrel pair were spotted and my fingers were crossed.
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If anyone can rid me of that menace, it’s the hawk.
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On high alert, scouting the bushes where they were hiding.
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The hawk sat there, patiently waiting for movement.
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And then, a strike!
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That sadly came up empty.
Hawk – 0.
Red squirrel demons – 1.
🥺
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Woodpeckers that is.
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There was a nice pileated at our suet nugget feeder out back …
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And another on our choke cherry tree out front at the same time.
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It’s rare enough to see one of these large beauties on the property… no less two.
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Like I say..
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It was a banner day for peckers.
😉
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Our Coopers Hawk is back..
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And has staked out the bird feeding station.
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His Lordship kept a close watch.
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As did I…
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💕
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Our Coopers Hawk returned yesterday and hung out for almost an hour, which is quite unusual.
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His Lordship was fascinated and kept a close eye on the visitor this time.
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I’m not sure what held this beautiful guy’s attention for so long… but I’m not complaining.
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I enjoyed watching him almost as much as Dudley.
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💕
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I spied someone on the deck railing recently, and as you can see… the royal feline was clueless.
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The someone was a juvenile Coopers Hawk.
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There’s good hunting under our bird feeders and this beauty was seriously interested.
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After ten minutes of me taking pictures and saying hey, there’s a big bird outside…
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His Lordship caught on.
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Hullo gawgeous!
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Raptors are fascinating creatures.
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And seeing one this close is a special experience.
❤️
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You know you want to.
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I can do one better,..
I’ll show you.
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There she is, a 1963 Ford Falcon station wagon… complete with wood on the sides.
I don’t have to tell you this was more than slightly mortifying to a teenager. The Falcon was a lot of things, but cool wasn’t one of them.
That picture was taken in the late eighties… judging from the head to toe acid washed denim… and yes, my mother was still driving her. She grew up in NYC where no one in her era drove or even bothered to learn. The woman got her first license when she moved to the suburbs at age 40 right before I was born and didn’t enjoy it. She was a nervous and overly cautious motorist and never felt comfortable behind the wheel. She learned to drive in that Falcon and it was literally the only car she ever drove her entire life.
It had vacuum wipers, no seatbelts, an am radio, a manual choke and by the time I drove her? A top speed of 51 before she started to rattle so badly you had to slow down. It was a good thing we lived on the Island because the old girl would never have tolerated a highway.
How about you?
Name the car…
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On an overcast and dreary day, my husband went out back to battle the trees.
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If you remember, we planted 6 trees in the north forty 2 years ago. Four maples and two cherries. The maples are thriving, the cherries are dead… thanks in no small part to the deer who apparently see cherry wood and think “snack time”!
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Dry and brittle, my husband thought it would be a simple thing to rip them out of the ground.
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He was mistaken.
Our miserable backyard clay was not letting go.
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He pulled, he tugged, he dug, and finally resorted to sawing them down.
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Take that you stubborn dead tree.
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Healthy maple tree on the right.
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Dead cherry #2.
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Just as difficult to remove as #1.
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A hard fought battle.
But he was victorious .
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Someone was enjoying the patio furniture on our deck the other afternoon….
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And it wasn’t me.
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This does not bode well.
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Not well at all.
She looks way too comfortable.
🥴
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Momma chuck and her one remaining baby were at the feeding station yesterday and after I took this picture, I realized what else was there.
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Look in the two flat bird feeders.
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Two red b*tches.
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Two!
Batten down the hatches.
That’s double trouble for sure.
😱
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I planted a penta and the butterflies are saying thank you.
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Yes, I’m posting more pictures.
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They’re such gorgeous little things, how can I not?
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So delicate…
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So pretty.
💕
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