Chirps and Cheeps

 Pileated Woodpeckers were pretty frequent visitors at our feeders up until about a year ago.  I'm not sure what changed, but we're not seeing them as often any more.  When one came by to feast on our suet today, I was pretty excited so, naturally, I got the camera on her!

Later that afternoon, while driving near Bloomfield, NY, I spotted a Short-eared Owl perched in a tree up ahead. I made a very slow approach and, without flushing the owl, I was able to get a few photos of it.  It was a bit dark for anything real good, but it was nice to capture his presence anyway.

The next day, after visiting with a friend in Eden, I decided to take "the long way" home through North Collins. On one, pretty secluded country road, I came upon a Cooper's Hawk that was causing quite a stir with the Blue Jays.  It was at eye level, an unusual encounter for me and I was happy it allowed me to take several photos.

After leaving the hawk to its business, I saw several other nice sightings, including: Eastern Bluebirds, a Northern Mockingbird, and a juvenile White-crowned Sparrow that was feeding on a roadside along with a group of Dark-eyed Juncos and American Tree Sparrows.