Cooper & Redford

We have 2 new residents at Casa Vulpini and, as is the custom here, they have received their names (whether they want them or not) by virtue of their multiple appearances.

The first is Cooper, a Cooper's Hawk (I know, not very original, but we seem to think it fits) that has a nest high in one of the taller oaks and has become a regular feature in the yard - much to the dismay and detriment of the birds that feed here as well ... they are, after all, its preferred food. We've watched our little daredevil live up to its reputation as it flies perilously fast through the fairly dense woods here. I was reading that in a study of Cooper's Hawks, they found that nearly 1/4 of the ones examined had healed fractures in their chest - typically their wishbones. Dangerous game, this eating stuff!

I caught Cooper during his/her ablutions one Saturday morning. Cooper and I watched each other for a while before I decided to risk slowly dragging the camera out of its bag and changing lenses. Perhaps the raptor was waiting on the rapture because it seem to care less about my very obvious presence. These are but a few of the shots spanning a 15 - 20 minute period.

I'm quite sure we will have words if Cooper decides to snatch dinner from under our noses, but perhaps the raptor will keep it on the sly and wow us with its aerial stunts instead.

Next on Kitsuni Acres is Redford. He appeared as a complete shock early one morning and has now shed the light on the recent questions of, "...what are these deer rooting for?" He's big enough (we think somewhere around 150-200 pounds, although looking at him tonight he seems bigger than that) that he should have tusks already if he's a wild boar; so perhaps he's an escaped domestic. Either way, we aren't really keen on having Redford as a guest beneath the bird feeder. He's sharing the space with both the deer and the fox routinely so there seems to be some peaceful accord ... so far. We now suspect he's been around a while and that would explain the few odd diggings in the yard. Redford does have a sweet tooth for the bird seed. He is very shy and very fleet footed. Ah! The pleasures of rural life! Sigh...............