Backyard Visitor

It’s not often you walk into your backyard and see a Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii)  sitting on your fence. At first, I thought it was injured. Thank goodness it wasn’t. Azrael, my shepherd scared him away after she noticed him.

These year-round residents of Texas are skillful fliers and are becoming more frequent visitors in towns, especially if you have bird feeders. However, these birds don’t like sunflower seeds. Go figure!

Their favorite town prey is doves. That now explains the dove feathers we’ve seen in our alleyway and yard.

Photograph – © Christena Stephens Photography