Cooper’s Hawk (Takeoff!)

A Cooper’s Hawk I spotted on a walk around the neighborhood.

I heard a *lot* of sparrows chirping in a tree behind a house. Then this hawk flew up and perched on the nearest telephone pole and the sparrows all just dropped silent. It stayed up there for a few minutes, then flew to the next pole, then flew off out of view.

The photos aren’t great, but I like that I managed to catch it this clearly. The last one I saw, I only had my phone with me.

#hawk #bird #nature #photo

A mottled brown bird with a hooked beak and yellow eyes, perched on top of a wooden pole and looking off to the side.

The same bird leaping from the top of the pole and spreading out its wings.

On Photog.Social

As I was walking through a residential neighborhood, I heard a *lot* of sparrows chirping in a tree behind a house. Then this bird flew up and perched on the nearest telephone pole and the sparrows all just dropped silent. It stayed up there for a few minutes, then flew to the next pole, then flew off out of view.

On iNaturalist

Pin-Tailed Whydahs

Pair of Wydah birds on a wire, one with a very long tail

I spotted the bird with the long tail flying around and thought at first that it was carrying something. Eventually it settled on this cable and I saw the other one which was clearly the same species, despite the shorter tail. Male/female pair? Older male/younger male?

They appear to be pin-tailed wydahs, which have been introduced to southern California. There’s a cluster of observations on iNaturalist in the LA area.

On PixelFed.Social
Female on iNaturalist
Male on iNaturalist

Uploaded a handful of bird photos ranging 2004-2015.

Uploaded a handful of #bird #photos ranging 2004-2015.

I imagine this #seagull reading the “No fishing” sign and being very disappointed.

An #egret wading in a marsh.

And another egret (I thought it was a crane at the time, but 3 people have IDed it as an egret) that I caught walking by the side of the road.

Funny thing is: I didn’t use the Flickr-to-#iNaturalist importer for these. On Flickr I posted the full, composed shots. For iNat, I wanted to crop them to show the birds more clearly.

On Photog.Social

The Sign Says: Don’t Even Think About It!

Don't Even Think About It!

I couldn’t decide between these two photos for the latest photo challenge. The first is a warning sign at the edge of Del Cerro Park in Rancho Palos Verdes. It’s a part up at the top of the hill, ending in if not exactly cliffs, a steep drop hundreds of feet down as the hills roll toward the ocean.

“Danger” signs are a dime a dozen. It’s the “Don’t even think about it!” that struck me as photo-worthy.

As for this second one, it’s not so much the sign that I found interesting as the fact that the bird looks like it’s staring at it, dismayed.

“Gee, I hope this doesn’t apply to seagulls, too!”

No Fishing Allowed

I collect pictures of funny/odd/interesting signs at K-Squared Ramblings, so if you’re interested in more, head over there for a look.