Cardinals, woodpeckers, and blue jays....

Oh my! Somewhere without even trying we have acquired bird sanctuary in our back yard. Oh it wasn't for lack of trying. I said, honey, why don't we put in a bird bath?

Honey said, it would be too messy and draw bugs. Well alrighty then Mr. Romantic.

I then said hey hon, your sisters have bird feeders, why don't we get one? (thinking sibling rivalry would do the trick).

Hon said, nope. The wildlife need to fend for themselves, its against the law to feed them. Besides it'll be messy. OOOOOkay, that was plain enough.

So we have this stately oak (see below) in our backyard. Its branches are long stretches of limbs that have housed a few family of squirrels and a half-assed tree house. Their (the squirrels) main goal, which everything needs one was to drive our dogs insane teasing them while traversing the pool cage, scrambling up the trees and sitting on the grass in front of the pool cage. I saw the wicked gleam in their eyes and of course their nanny nanny boo boo back to the dogs hung in the air.

So throughout the day as I sat on the lanai reading and trying NOT to listen to Trailer Park Boys the Movie (insert eyeroll), I saw a multitude of birds whirling and dipping and chatting back and forth. Mostly doin' a what for and protecting their territory. A couple even so bold as to come up to the screen where I was sitting and screech at me. Hmmpphh! I did have a chat with one of the woodpeckers eyeing the flashing on the house and they went back to thumping out a tattoo on the trees. Man they have some wicked tough beaks because they're a serious lot when it comes to thumpin' bark.
So all that chirping, dipping and whirling went on and my camera sat on the desk. Sigh. I've tried stalking and capturing the birds to no avail in which case I've come to the conclusion I'm not a stalker (unless its the fedex man with scrapbook kits) or capturing so I decided that I'd just take pleasure in watching. And I did for awhile. But OMG! a challenge. Not above failing because I'm such an awesome wildlife photographer sometimes there's a chance I could get lucky. So the stately old oak was perfect. Staying in one place and not moving a branch or a leaf.

Good thing I was quick. Because....

while I was waiting for the oak tree to show signs of life, whooosh.... out swoops a hawk from the other side of the yard. Naturally. NOT just any hawk. My hawk. Oh I saw him down the street on someone's wire so I'm playing hard to get. Now he's been stalking me for awhile. See we have a history. We became buds when he sat on the wire in front of our house eyeing the dogs when I walked them like he was pondering lunch. After the dogs were walked he stayed put enough to let me run back in, and out with the camera and take a few pix. (He's actually in my blog somewhere else). So alas as I have no more dogs to taunt or eye, he left for awhile.

And he came back in the most dramatic fashion. But I want you to know that these 2 pix we're caught by a steady hand and keen eye sheer dumb luck. He came out of the trees so fast I just pointed the camera and snapped. No viewfinder - no focusing.

Damn I'm good.