Under Surveillance

After finding that immature Cooper's Hawk at the beach last weekend, I mentioned to Paul how cool it'd be to see an adult -- while the young birds are pretty enough, adult Cooper's Hawks have sleek slate-gray caps and backs, rusty-red barred breasts, and bright red eyes. They're just so cool looking. (The same is true for their smaller, similar-looking relative, the Sharp-shinned Hawk, of course.)

So I was happy today when an adult Cooper's Hawk decided to take up a post in a tree down the street from our house, just visible from our window. It stayed there for over an hour, turning its head constantly so it could keep an eye on several yards at once:

How fun to get a visit from this bird. Here's hoping it found something good to eat to make its stay worthwhile!

(Also, I really like this idea of me wishing for something and then getting it.... Boy, I'd love to see one of those Snowy Owls that have been showing up further south than usual this year! ... Did it work?)