Fall colors

  

Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) in Cotati on 26 November 2025.  

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Next to the nest

  

We've come across a couple of different Cooper's Hawks (Astur cooperii) at their nests recently.  This photo was taken a couple of weeks ago in Glen Ellen.  After taking off, the hawk flew up to a large nest at the top of a dense oak tree.  [You can click on the photo for a larger version.]

Feather detail and more

  

Cooper's Hawk (Astur cooperii) feeding while perched on a tree branch in Cotati on 18 March 2025.  [You can click on the image for a larger version.]

In addition to feeding on prey, this bird happened to be quite vocal as we were walking by.  The calls were not the more-often-heard cak-cak-cak variety, but instead what are sometimes described as whaaa calls, more often attributed to females.

If you're interested, I recorded a very short audio clip for the record -- see below.  [If you can't see the video player in the e-mail, click on the title of the post above to find it on the NHBH web page.]  The lighting isn't the best, but at the time I was more focused on trying to record the sound.  You might need to turn up your volume a little bit.

Spring is on the way!

Ready for takeoff

  

In late December I helped out with the Western Sonoma County Christmas Bird Count.  Here's a male Northern Harrier photo from that day.

Watching and waiting

  

A young Red-shouldered Hawk (Buteo lineatus) in Bodega Bay on 21 October 2024.  [You can click on the image for a larger version.]

Always watchful

  

It's been busy lately, but here's a quick shot of a Northern Harrier from Bodega Head earlier in the spring.

One-way flight

  

Quick shot of a Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) with prey, an American Coot (Fulica americana).  You can see the lobed feet of the coot.  Photographed flying over Bodega Harbor today, 20 March 2024.

Focused

  

Wow!  This weekend, Eric looked out the back door and noticed this adult Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) sitting on a post in the garden.

The hawk spent quite a bit of time hunting...landing on tomato cages and walking among the plants.  We're assuming it was focused on finding a songbird.  Impressive to see it up close and to watch its behavior!

Here's another view:

 

 

This Cooper's Hawk is on the smaller side, so likely a male.  [You can click on the images for larger versions.]

Opportunity

  

A beautiful male Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius) turning to search for possible prey below.  Photographed on Bodega Head on 31 December 2023.  [You can click on the image for a larger and sharper version.]

Following the feathers

 

 

From back on 19 November 2023, but here's a view of a young Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) with some nice feather details!  [You can click on the image for a larger version.]

Taking off

 

 

A young Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) taking off after hunting for sparrows in a shrub, 7 October 2023.

Early bird special?

  

Eric took this quick shot of an Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) as we were leaving work tonight (28 March 2023).  I'm not sure about the identity of the fish — perhaps a large surf perch?  

Birdie or...

...an eagle...or both?

 

 

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) in Bodega Bay on 16 February 2023.

P.S.  Okay, so I was playing off golf terms with the title and intro to this post, and I don't play golf myself, so I thought I'd double-check the definitions of a birdie vs. an eagle, and I was surprised to learn that there are two other golf scores with bird names!  Sounds like they're quite rare, so if you ever score an albatross or a condor, you'll be in the history books!  https://www.pga.com/story/odds-of-a-hole-in-one-albatross-condor-and-golfs-unlikely-shots

At the top of the pine

 

 

A bit in the shadows, but a nice adult Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) across the street from our house in Cotati on 12 February 2023.  I heard the hawk calling, but this is a large pine, so it took me a while before I located it near the very top of the tree.

Mid-morning flight

 

 

 

A couple of views of a Northern Harrier from 16 January 2023.

 

 

 

8.5 inches so far

  

Wow, 8.5 inches of rain in Bodega Bay during the past 10 days, and the rain just keeps coming.

Above, an Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) with a surfperch (possibly a Redtail Surfperch, Amphistichus rhodoterus) during morning showers. 

Below, a Red Phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius) in Bodega Harbor in the afternoon rain:

 

 

 

 

Magician in the rain

 

 

Merlin (Falco columbarius) in the rain at Doran Beach, 8 December 2022

Front and back

  

Two Bald Eagles perched in a cypress tree near the Bodega Bay post office today (29 November 2022).

The eagle on the left was often looking out at the harbor, and in this position its white head feathers were splayed out in the back:

 

 

When harrier met vole

  

 Northern Harrier (Circus hudsonius) landing with prey, Bodega Head, 22 October 2022

Fish-hawk

  

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus), Bodega Bay, 21 September 2022