FreeLists / va-bird / [va-bird] Sharp-shinned Gets Lunch - photos

["Mayhorn" <mayhorn@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

VA Birders,
This afternoon, when I pulled into my driveway, I saw a Sharp-shinned sitting 
on top of a boulder near my pond stream. It was eating a Mourning Dove. I 
watched it for a few minutes, then decided to try to slip through the yard to 
the house, where I could get my camera and get some photos.

I opened the door of my Blazer a few inches at a time. The Sharpie didn't seem 
to notice. Finally I stepped out slowly, thinking that the hawk would fly. It 
stopped and stared at me for a few seconds, but didn't fly. I started taking 
small, slow steps toward the house. The hawk continued to eat.
After several slow, deliberate steps I was at a point where the hawk couldn't 
see me because of a shrub near the corner of the porch. I went inside, got the 
camera and took several photos from the window. The hawk again allowed me to 
very slowly slide the window open to get photos. 

Once the Sharpie had finished his meal he flew up a couple of feet to sit in 
the cherry tree, where the feeders hang. My wife and I then made several trips 
to the Blazer to bring in bags, and the hawk was not disturbed by it. Initially 
I suppose I could have just walked straight to the house and gotten the camera. 
Our presence didn't seem to disturb him at all. After several minutes in the 
tree the hawk spread his wings and glided silently into the woods below the 
yard.

If you don't mind seeing a bit of raw nature you can see some of the photos at

http://users.mikrotec.com/mayhorn/SSH/SSHP1.htm

Enjoy the birds,

Roger Mayhorn
Compton Mt (near Grundy)
Buchanan County