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11/12/2006: "Sharpie Comes to Lunch"

Yesterday, a Sharp Shinned Hawk, Accipiter striatus, came screaming down into the yard. He was after a small Oregon Junco that was feeding under the bush in the picture. Nate gave a yelp, and I grabbed my camera. The Sharpie paid no attention to us as he chased after the little junco, which managed to hide itself in the bush quite effectively. After a few minutes of hopping around on the ground, trying to get up into the shrub to get the junco, the Sharpie flapped up to the picket fence and sunned himself in a moment of warmth before flying off. The unique structure of this farm, such as open meadows bordered by forest and our proximity to the river, along with the abundance of prey species that subsist on the products of the farm, provides some habitat for a great deal of raptors, including Great Horned Owl, Red Tailed Hawks, Marsh Hawks, Kestrels, Bald Eagles, and Ospreys.