The Cooper's Hawks are still around!

Just a quick update to say that the hawks have been sighted again!  They are at the very back of the cemetery (where it is harder to photograph) but hopefully they will remain and make a new nest.

To celebrate, I thought I would share a photo of a Cooper's Hawk that I took several years ago in a stream in Mount Royal Cemetery.

Broad-winged Hawks

As mentioned in a previous post, I found (or, I should say, several crows found) an immature Broad-winged Hawk that I was able to photograph.  

Well, a few days later in the same place, the crows alerted me again to a Broad-winged Hawk.  Then, as I observed it, a second one flew into an adjacent tree!  Here they are below.

The crows were adamant to chase them off and there was quite an aerial display!  I managed to get the following action shots before both hawks flew off with the crows in pursuit:

I keep returning to the area (not much choice with the pandemic directives these days) but have never seen them since (as of two weeks now).

On a sad note (for me that is), the Cooper's Hawks from my previous post seem to have moved away without raising any young.  I was seeing them every day that I went looking and now it has been six days with no sightings.  I've checked the nest and it seems abandoned.  It has left me feeling bereft.  I think my emotions are very much on the surface these days with all the tragedy related to COVID-19 and sadness is a default frame of mind ... 

Treetop Tryst

A pair of Cooper's Hawks has taken up residence in a local cemetery and I have been checking in on them each day I go out.  Unfortunately the gates of the cemetery are locked so my images are from quite a distance and therefore not of the greatest quality but I was able to capture a sequence of shots of a rather intimate moment between them. 

And finally, here is one of the pair on their nest which is high in a conifer.  I will be curious to see if baby hawks will be around later in the spring!

More neighbourhood wildlife!

Immature Broad-winged Hawk

It has been very exciting to find even more great wildlife while touring my neighbourhood.  The Broad-winged Hawk pictured above is a perfect example. Actually two such hawks were seen together which makes me wonder if they will be nesting.  I have already found a Cooper's Hawk nest and will devote future blog posts to both these species.

Male and female Mallards

White-breasted Nuthatch

A pair of these nuthatches has been scouting out a few tree cavities and trying them on for size.  I will continue to keep an eye out for an active nest.

Golden-crowned Kinglet

American Tree Sparrow

Dark-eyed Junco

European Starling

American Kestrel

I was thrilled to see a Kestrel.  This beautiful little falcon is on the decline and this is the first one I have seen in several years.

More astronomical sights

After having managed to photograph Venus and The Pleiades recently, I thought I would post a few more night sky images.

(Please note that you can enlarge a photograph by clicking on it).

In late March the planet Venus could be seen above the beautiful crescent Moon as shown below.

Another exciting event was the conjunction of Mars, Saturn, and Jupiter.  These planets aligned in mid-April and I took the following photograph on April 16 around 4:50 a.m.  I do not usually get up so early but I figured this was worth it!

And finally, this was the biggest surprise for me! When I directly focused on Jupiter, I was astonished to find that its largest moons were visible and clearly identifiable as distinct bodies around the planet.

Wildlife and sights in the neighbourhood

One sees these signs in many windows in Quebec regarding COVID-19 (the novel coronavirus disease which began in 2019) and roughly translated it means "We will be fine".  I understand that in Ontario, people put teddy bears in their windows which pleases passing children. :-)

Because of the restrictions put in place to stay at home and only go out for solo walks or to get groceries and other essential supplies, I have been limiting my photographic excursions to a small area in my neighbourhood within the Montreal borough of Saint-Laurent.  Luckily for me, this area encompasses two college campuses.  I have explored these places before but never to any great extent.  The wildlife I have encountered these last few weeks has been amazing!  The most exceptional creature being a Wild Turkey!

Here is a sample of the wildlife I have been able to photograph (with varying degrees of success):

Wild Turkey

Hairy Woodpecker

Groundhog

Robin

Ring-billed Gull

Canada Geese

Turkey Vulture

Crow

Eastern Phoebe

Gray Squirrel

American Goldfinch (in changing plumage)

Downy Woodpecker

Eastern Cottontail

Song Sparrow

Cooper's Hawk

Others that I saw but didn't get an acceptable photograph: Killdeer and Cardinal.  

And last but not least, here is a photograph of the recent super Moon.  I guess I can't claim that it is in my neighbourhood (as the title implies) but it sure was a lovely sight from my window!

Keep well everyone!

Venus and the Pleiades

April 3, 2020

I recently found out that during this first week of April, the planet Venus can be seen in "close proximity" to the star cluster known as The Pleiades (or Seven Sisters). I was lucky enough to get two nights when the clouds parted so that I could photograph them.  You will see how Venus "moves past" the cluster.

I did not use a tripod so the images are not the best but I was very excited to see The Pleiades as I had never seen them before, and in a city environment with lots of light, it was great to have Venus to guide me to them.

You can check out this article to see others' photos and learn more about these celestial bodies.

April 4, 2020