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Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Yesterday ...


Yes, this is yesterday's post ... better late than never!  Sometimes life just happens!  However, in living life, we didn't really wake up to so called spring yesterday ... it was
-15C first thing in the morning!!!  What's up with that?  Still very much snow covered and frozen, there is a few of us out on the prairies that might argue against global warming these days (especially when there is more snow in the forecast and temperatures are to remain COOL!).

However, spring must be trying to arrive as the raptors are finally returning!  I've seen them slowly returning over the past week.  I love raptors!  I could just photograph them everyday!  Such incredible birds!  These aren't great but I find them hard to photograph when they first migrate back ... they are always so unsettled!


Rough-Legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus)
These beauties nest in the arctic and are migrating through, although we are fortunate to have some overwinter (there were many last year).


Red-Tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)
This fellow was not going to have anything to do with me!  Summer is just not the same with out the powerful, descending screams of a red-tailed hawk!


Swainson's Hawk (Buteo swainsoni)
Aaaah ... my favourite!!!  This beauty of a beast was soaring way up in the sky ... a long, long stretch for my pitiful little lens.  However, this light phased Swainson's Hawk was indeed a welcome sight!  These incredible raptors undertake the longest migration of any of our raptors.  Many of them winter as far south as the southern tip of South America!!  That is an amazing migration!

6 comments:

  1. Awesome photos Terri and I always learn so much from you. I have a helluva time identifying these different hawks, so I love to hear what you know and see who's who.
    and even if it's cold(Brad Howe says coldest Apr 9th since they started keeping records!) you sure have a nice blue sky!!

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    1. Thanks Gena! They're not the greatest but this chick is tired of slugging through the snow and really not wanting to wear my winter outerwear anymore!!!!! I don't doubt that today was one of the coldest on record. Judging by the weather forecast ... it's going to be May before things begin to warm up which will make seeding interesting this year. Hawks are tricky to identify ... but I love the challenge! They are so amazing!

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  2. Replies
    1. Wowzers ... look at all that snow! I sure wish she would send that to us, I sure miss winter!

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  3. The last hawk photo with its wings spread against the blue sky is positively stunning !

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