We had a ton of rain during the past 24 hours, and when I headed out this morning, it was damp, cloudy, and chilly, but the sun came out near the end of my hike. I ended up with 22 avian species in about 2 hours. It was good to see a White-crowned Sparrow, as I hadn't seen one for a couple of weeks and wondered if they had already migrated north during last week's warmer weather. I saw some of our resident Chipping Sparrows that are uncommon in this part of the U.S. during the winter months.
White-crowned Sparrow
Chipping Sparrows
Song Sparrow
House Finch
Female and male Northern Flickers
Northern Mockingbird
Ring-necked Duck
Mallard
Fish Crow
The highlight of the hike was shortly before I headed for home. I heard a Red-shouldered Hawk calling. This was not unusual, as we have a resident pair of adult Red-shouldered Hawks, and I usually see at least one of them every time I hike here. But when I looked up, I saw a juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk flying to the west.
Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk
Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk
It was soon out of sight, but I still heard a Red-shouldered Hawk calling. It was a second juvenile, and that one took off after the first one.
Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk
Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk
Juvenile Red-shouldered Hawk
I wondered if these two juveniles were offspring of our resident hawks that were hatched last year, and may have returned to Old Trail? It is far too early in the year for 2019-hatched Red-shouldered Hawks. I then saw one of our adult hawks perched nearby and watching all of this. The fact that the adult did not chase the two juveniles from its territory might be a confirmation the juveniles were its offspring.
Adult Red-shouldered Hawk
Adult Red-shouldered Hawk