It was a good day to be a raptorphile

We woke up to a red-shouldered hawk sitting in a tree across the street. Good morning!

Then, Lorelei and I went to try our luck at seeing the bald eagle again. She had been asleep when we saw it a few days ago. And today, she got to see it!

Not a National Geographic pic, but way better than what I got the first time.



And then it flew away, to go catch a fish.

Then it was to RAPTOR to grab some stuff, and near RAPTOR is Winton Woods, a very nice county park with a settling pond. And hunting the field near the pond was a male American kestrel:



This is actually the clearest picture I have ever taken of a wild kestrel.
His 'tocks.


This isn't too bad, but the lighting during a cloudy day is for crap.
Amazing how such a small, sweet-looking bird can be such a fierce predator (well, I'm sure they seem fierce if you are a grasshopper or a vole.)
And THEN....
Leaving the park, I spotted a hawk, all fluffed out hawk, scanning the field on the other side:


Okay, my little disciples...who can tell me what kind of hawk this is?
One hint: It is a buteo.
You can't see the tail, so you will have to ascertain the ID by what you see. And it was hunting at the edge of the woods, looking out over an open field.
Make me proud!

On the way home, I spotted FOUR different red-shouldered hawks in different locations.
Today was uber-raptorlicious.

That's eight separate birds of prey.
You may now adore and worship me.