February 14, 2024

Cooper’s Hawk in the River Birch

February 14, 2024/ Gwen Morrison

I was in my office…at the computer…when a hawk flew by. It perched in the neighbor’s river birch. I could see it from where I sat! I took pictures through the window (with a screen). They are not great pictures but good enough for the id: an immature Cooper’s Hawk….rounded tail, brown upper parts, white underparts with brown streaking, yellow eye, banded tail.

The feathers on the breast are fluffed making the bird look larger. It was a cold windy day.

This bird could have been stalking smaller birds coming to our feeders although it was not eating anything while I watched. The bird seemed to be using the high branches of the river birch as a lookout…and a place to enjoy the sunshine. It did NOT fly off in the direction of our feeders when it left!

May 31, 2023

Ten Little Celebrations – May 2023

May 31, 2023/ Gwen Morrison

I picked my 10 little celebrations for May…then grouped them in to 3 categories: playing tourist (5), emotional experience (3) and getting outdoors (2). There was a lot to celebrate in May!

**ArtsFest in Springfield.** An interesting event and great weather too. We went with my daughter and son-in-law. I had heard about it in previous years from my daughter but it was my first time to experience it. It was a way to celebrate great spring weather and the artists of the area.

Springfield Botanical Gardens/Mizumoto Japanese Stroll Garden. Another way to celebrate springtime…savor the flowers…the new growth everywhere.

**Fantastic Caverns.** The easiest way to tour a cave…riding on a tram. I celebrated that this one had visible fossils in the ceiling that were visible too.

Springfield Art Museum. I celebrated the pottery/ceramics which is the focus of one of the exhibits now. Somehow art that has the potential to be something functional always appeals to me.

World of Wildlife Museum and Aquarium. Celebrating the improvements in presentation of taxidermied specimens (meticulous attention to the depiction of the ecosystem around the animal)….and best aquarium in this part of the country!

**Mother’s Day.** A hearty breakfast then a hike alongside a meadow with my daughter…celebrating the relationship (and motherhood).

A sister’s successful surgery. Health of ourselves and people we have close relationships is always somewhat emotion. It’s great to be able to celebrate a procedure that was successful.

In-range blood work results. I celebrated some recent blood work that indicated that everything being checked was in the normal range. As we get older, we tend to be more aware that there could be some challenges ahead…and it is reassuring when the results indicate everything is still fine.

Coopers hawk over the Pocket Prairie. It’s always startling to see a raptor in a suburban area. I heard the racket of other birds before I saw the hawk swoop over the pocket prairie at Josey Ranch and into the neighborhood across the street. I celebrated that these small hawks evidently have thrived in that environment.

**Rhododendron Flowering.** I missed the rhododendron blooming last year…was thrilled when the flowers opened. It was a big part of the celebration of spring in our back yard!

March 03, 2020

Cooper’s Hawk

March 03, 2020/ Gwen Morrison

I caught a flutter in my periphery vision – a bird flying away from house toward the forest. The morning has been very quiet at our feeder; I hadn’t been hearing or seeing any birds while I browsed through an eBook on my PC. Maybe this bird was the reason. It was in the Tulip Poplar tree at the edge of the forest – close enough for my camera’s zoom. I managed several pictures before it took off.

I could tell right away it was a hawk and based on its small size – either a Copper’s or Sharp-shinned. It didn’t appear to have a snack…so maybe the little birds had stayed out of harm’s way.

The head looked flatted on top (squarish) and the coloring on the top of the head was more like a cap. It’s hard to see the tail in any of my pictures but it’s probably rounded. All those details make the ID – a Cooper’s Hawk.

I saw one of these birds about a month ago too…flying across our yard and into the sycamore tree. If I see them too frequently, I’ll take the bird feeder down for a week or so…and hope the predator forgets the location.

January 29, 2020

Ten Little Celebrations – January 2020

January 29, 2020/ Gwen Morrison

2020 has started out with more activity than I anticipated….more volunteering, more classes, more events…and some travel at the end of the month.

2020 01 IMG_7039.jpg — **Bluebird passing through:** We don’t see bluebirds around that much….so it’s a special day when we do see one.

47th wedding anniversary: It doesn’t seem like such a long time…compared to my parents celebrating 67 years. I’m going to think of something special for our 50th coming up in 3 years!

**Children enjoying the Touch Tank**: There are moments in every hour that I spend volunteering at Robinson Nature Center’s saltwater touch tank that are little celebrations for me and for the children. Whether it is awe from something an animal does…or how they feel…or just understanding something new.

Conowingo Eagles: Even on a morning I don’t get any particularly good pictures – I enjoy every trip we make to the Conowingo…and that the eagle population is back from the brink!

Hot tea with cream: Or maybe with just milk. It’s my favorite winter beverage.

**Middle Patuxent Water Monitoring**: I always enjoy getting in the river and then doing the gleaning of the macroinvertebrates to identify. Since it was winter, I was braced to get very cold…but we had a wonderful sunny (not too cold) day!

Honing skills for volunteer gig: None of the classes were very long but were informative and applicable to me becoming a better volunteer. The topics ranged from autism, Howard Country Green Infrastructure Network, sensitivity training (impact of microaggression), outdoor wear fashion and function, and the spotted lantern fly. Wow – quiet a range of topics and all the presentations were excellent.

2020 01 IMG_7080.jpg — **Snow in the afternoon**: So beautiful. I celebrate every snow these days because I don’t have to drive in it!

Zentangle® with Howard County Conservancy volunteers: I love guiding group Zentangle sessions. This particular group seemed to enjoy the session…and had some ideas about ‘next steps’ in a practice. And like the campers last summer…got a little Zen as well.

Cooper’s Hawk on a Snowy morning: Often a ‘little celebration’ is a surprise that just happens. Seeing the Cooper’s Hawk fly into our sycamore was that kind of celebration – although I am glad the hawk is not around my backyard more frequently (since I enjoy the other birds).

January 16, 2020

A Little Snow

January 16, 2020/ Gwen Morrison

The next morning, I started before sunrise then took several pictures catching the changes in light as the sun came up and from behind the morning clouds.

The sycamore has a few leaves that caught the snow…but there were also branches acting like skewers for ribbons of snow on the tree.

The evergreens always hold a lot of snow. This time it wasn’t enough to break any limbs.

The red maple twigs already look a little red against the snow they hold.

The tulip poplar seed pods act as little cups for the snow…the branches of the tree like a candelabra. The snow was wet enough to stick to almost all the branches.

The big surprise of the morning was a hawk. When it first flew into the sycamore while I was getting my breakfast, I thought it was a mourning dove, but then decided it was a little larger…and then it turned its head and I knew it wasn’t a dove. The pictures were taken through a window with a screen but the shape of the tail is distinctive enough to indicate that it was probably a Cooper’s Hawk (rather than a sharp-shinned). No wonder there weren’t any birds around our feeder at the time!