Vista

We stopped at this newly tilled field one day
so I could take a picture of the sky.

Sky Watch Friday.

Bluebirds and Buteos

This morning we went for a drive to the north side of the small town we live near. It is farming country with wide, open fields, and we thought we might find some hawks here. The first birds we saw were little ones, so exciting to see. I counted ten bluebirds sitting on the fence posts and strands of wire. There could have been more. We pulled over to the shoulder, and I got out to take a few pictures. They didn't seem to mind me, as long as I didn't get too close, and if I did, they flew to another fence post further along the line. But, every time a vehicle went by, they flew away and afterward came back again. They did this over and over. Fortunately, there were not many vehicles. The male bluebirds stole the show, as I wasn't able to get any good photos of the females. Maybe next time. . . 

(please click on pictures to enlarge)

Mountain Bluebird Sialia currucoides
Male

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The hawks were hovering over the fields, and we saw one perched in a poplar tree. This is the one I tried to get close enough to photograph. I think he or she was watching me "like a hawk". I'm far from being an expert at identifying these birds, but from my bird book and the internet I have it narrowed down to one - the Rough-legged Hawk Buteo lagopus. Now, I could be completely wrong about which hawk this is, so I'd appreciate a "thumbs up" or "help". This is how I identified the hawk:

1. long white tail with dark band or bands.
2. hawk of open country.
3. often hovers while hunting.
4. one of the hawks of our region.
5. And this from the Boreal Birds website - "this hawk can be identified by the way it perches: balancing precariously on the most slender twigs at the top of a tree."

A Different Direction

These are the days of long walks over the countryside.
Today there is a very gusty, west wind blowing,
a gift from Mother Nature to help dry the land.
It was an invigorating walk with the noise
of the wind in our ears and everything
being blown this way and that.

I was trying to show the wind in the grass.

A little farther down the road we heard sounds
coming from a stand of trees, and then we saw
the Flickers, several of them flying from tree to tree,
engaged in courtship ritual. Such excitement
and a rare sight!

Northern Flicker
Colaptes auratus
"Red-shafted" (found west of the Rockies)
Male and female

Male, with tail feathers flared.

He's peeking around at her.

Northern Flickers

The winding road where we walked.

We were returning to the car, thankfully
with the wind at our backs.

A grove of windswept trees.

A lot of runoff is occurring now.

Fast flowing here and pooling
in the field.