Speaking Of Large Birds....

When I posted the information for San Diego County Vector Control for reporting large dead birds, such as Crows, Jays, Hawks, Owls and Falcons, a couple of days ago, I wasn't expecting to see one of those large birds very much alive and sitting on our birdbath, waiting for breakfast.

It's probably a juvenile Cooper's Hawk, judging from the bands and white tip on the tail and the amount of white on its underside.  I ran inside and got the camera, trying to get a few pictures without scaring it away, although it seemed oblivious to our presence.

However, as I was taking these pictures, I saw a flash of orange feathers on the ground; a Spotted Towhee had hopped down out of the shrubbery and was pecking at seeds on the ground, apparently unaware that a large predator was very close by.

We know that, by putting out birdseed, we will attract not only songbirds, but also hawks and other critters that prey on them; it's all part of the cycle of life, but we prefer not to watch it happen if we can help it.  

So Cindy went out toward the feeder, the Towhee skipped back into the shrubbery and the Cooper's Hawk reluctantly took off to land in the neighbors' Eucalyptus tree, to the great disgust of the Crows in the area, who set up a cacophony of complaints about it.