Red-shouldered Hawk
It was sunny and cold this morning. Yesterday's winds had not completely calmed down, and the breezes combined with 32 degrees temperature made for some nippy wind chill. At least the muddy path through the Western Park wetlands was partially frozen and easily passable. I ended up with 17 avian species. One of our resident Red-shouldered Hawks demonstrated why it has its species name.
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Female Common Merganser
Field Sparrow
Black Vulture
On my hike, I talked with another resident who told me he had just seen a large owl farther down the trail. That must have been either a Great Horned Owl or a Barred Owl. I went to look for it, but did not find it. I then headed out to run an errand in Crozet, and just after leaving Old Trail, I stopped when I saw another Red-tailed Hawk. This was almost certainly one of our resident hawks, as it was just across the street from the north end of Old Trail. This hawk was looking down for a meal, dropped down and didn't find one, and then flew back up to its perch.
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk
Red-shouldered Hawk