The Cooper's Hawks Are Nesting Again This Spring

 

I was excited to find that the Cooper's Hawks are nesting again in the cemetery.  (I am assuming it is the same pair as last spring).  This time they have chosen a different tree and have been working on the nest for a couple of weeks now.  I am not sure what kind of view I will have of the nestlings once the tree has leafed out but I'm hoping to be able to get at least a glimpse of them from time to time.

In the meantime I was very lucky to get some good shots of the hawks who kindly perched on lower branches and also some "action" shots.  I hope you like them as well as a 16 second video of the female hawk calling that you can see here.

The female

The male

Flying off the nest

The male hawk on the upper branch and the female on the lower branch

The hawk has just broken off this twig and is flying to the nest. 

On the nest

More photos will be coming as time goes by and hopefully some videos too.

An Easter Rabbit

This lovely little rabbit was found on Easter Sunday which was a repeat of last year when I found two rabbits in the same area (not far from home).  I watched this one pulling up grass in bundles, carrying it, and then pushing it down into a (presumed) den.  After that exertion, the rabbit hopped over to a tree and spent time grooming and then went to sleep.  

I managed to capture the grooming session on video.  It is quite cute to watch as it washes its face like a cat and even seems to clean its teeth.  It is one minute long and you may want to mute the sound to avoid wind noises and some background human voices.

Click here for the video.