Many of you may have heard me mention a pair (previously a trio) of magnificent tress in a local neighborhood where I have often seen Cooper’s hawks. We have a Cooper’s hawk sighting on our 2021 list already, but yesterday I put those trees on my walking route and had my Canon 7D with me just in case I saw something interesting. It was one of those times a plan comes together and makes you smile. As I approached the tree and looked through its dense canopy I saw an opening with a distinctive dark silhouette. Walking to the other side of the tree I saw a beautiful Cooper’s in plain sight. Several crows were in the tree as well, one only about eight feet from the hawk, giving it an endless blast of “caws”. Apparently un-phased, the hawk remained where it was, enjoying the view, or maybe relishing annoying the crows.
I think it is overdue that I name this tree “the Cooper’s Tree”, because of its many rewards, and it sure acted like it owned it.
Dean
The Big Year 2021 