When this guy decided to perch himself on the roof of my truck, I was in awe of the size and beauty of this bird. After a little investigating, I do believe it's a Merlin Hawk. Now I'm not a bird expert, as I have shown by thinking a tern was a seagull with an orange beak, but if it's not a Merlin, he's got to be a close cousin.
With @farm-mom just getting a new phone, we may be getting one of those bird identifier Apps that many fellow #feathered #friends have suggested.
Now we're talking!
The hawk didn't stay perched on the roof for long before two or three powerful strokes of his wings propelled him into the dense pine forest across the road.
These pictures and the ones to follow were taken in 2020/07.
We had enjoyed the company of these majestic hawks the year before and hope they will return again this year.
Although the following pictures of the Merlin are not of our feathered friend on a roof, I thought you may enjoy them anyway.
These four pictures were captured while the bird was perched on a branch of a tree that is on the side of my shop. He wasn't threatened at all by my presence and seemed to enjoy the attention as I snapped one picture after the next.
His talons, or should I say talon was very impressive to see in real life. The other talon seems to be tucked under his chest feathers.
For the past several years these splendid birds have made their presence known right after we cut the fields of hay.
Many a rodent makes its home in these fields and after the hay has been cut and bailed, the hawks can be seen gliding high above.
With their magnificent vision, the exposed field mice, moles, voles, groundhogs, and young birds that have nested in these fields, no longer have the cover of the tall grass.
This is a picture from last year when the weather was very cooperative.
Three or four days of sunny skies and no rain are necessary for the grass to be cut, raked, put into windrows, bailed, and then stacked in the barn.
To date, the weather has not allowed this to happen. When #Mother #Nature decides to cooperate and allows us to get the hay in the barn, I sure do hope the Merlins will once again show up for a meal and to be admired.
Nice post @thebigsweed, such awesome birds. Hope the weather gets better so we can get the hay for the horses in the barn. And just maybe catch those hawks doing some hunting.👀🤞🙏
Absolutely magnificent. 😀
I wish I could see a hawk so close.
What a magnificent bird! Nice photos @thebigsweed. What a privilege to have him sitting on your truck - although he looks far better in his natural environment
Excellent shots Sweed.
Every time I see a big fancy bird I think it's a falcon. Can't remember what kind now and my connection isn't cooperating, the fastest falcon. That one. It was rare it was even in Long Beach. Not as rare as seeing it snag a pigeon mid flight though.
Maybe a Peregrine Falcon? They are endangered in Wisconsin and it would be a treat to see one!
That's it. Thank you. I couldn't get a good enough signal last night. Peregrine.
I'll never forget that day. First and last time I saw a bird like that. It's chest was gorgeous with those spots. I had to go inside and do a search what kinda bird that was. And it wasn't more than 5 seconds of me staring at it in a tree just above my head that it took off and caught a pigeon outta the air right in front of me.
That would be a sight to see! There was a pair nesting atop a grain elevator in the next town over and a friend there was seeing them occasionally. Maybe someday I'll see one.
I have no problem admitting I don't know birds. I knew that one was special, though, I'd never seen one like it.
I did a little research and learned it's a rare sighting in Long Beach but not impossible. They prefer warmer weather but Long Beach has plenty of cliffs and caves for them. When I learned it's a Peregrine, I found a clip like this one and realized how special that sighting was.
It's always fun to see a bird that you have never seen before. especially one that is uncommon in your area. And Falcons pretty much top everything!
You are so right about seeing a bird that you have never seen before. I know the excitement I felt when I saw the Indigo Bunting for the first time last month. Since then, two other birds that we have yet to see in this area have made their presence known.
One of them I have seen before, but not in our area, the other one is a bird that I have never seen. I was able to capture some great pics of both of them and will more than likely need to put out another S.O.S. in order to identify the one bird.
You sound like you are ready to become a #feathered #friends member.
Just recently we purchased this feeder. The dam thing lasted about two weeks before a Blue Jay decided to stop in for a bite to eat and knocked the thing off of the post. When it hit the ground, it fell apart and ended up in about 10 pieces.
Rather than try and put it back together, I just built a new one. This one should be around for a while. I'm in the process of constructing several more of them for the kids. It would give me great pleasure building one for @dandays and @puravidaville if you guys would like.
It even comes with two blocks of suet.
:chilling:
When I read the start I had a tough time believing you purchased a bird house. 'Who are you and what have you don't with Sweed?!' The second paragraph sounded more authentic.
Dude we would be honored if you built us a birdhouse! My God, Bob, the gesture alone is worth a "Happy Independence Day!" I don't know what else to say.
I hope it isn't asking too much to somehow arrange to receive that house in person.
Before moving to the farm and becoming a member of #feathered #friends, I think I was too busy to really enjoy all of the feathery life flying above my head. You know the old saying, "Keep your head down and get the job done."
Well, with those days in the rearview mirror, my appreciation for our feathered friends has become a real passion of mine. Just yesterday, while sitting on the front porch with Robin, not the bird Robin, but the wife named after the bird Robin, I suggested that we not fill the bird feeders for a day or so. I needed to give my neck a little rest from turning it every which way trying to capture all of the activity going on.
We joke that this place is like a bird airport around here.
It must have been an incredible sight catching the falcon in action. They are incredible birds that seem to exert very little effort while hovering high above.
I was just (as in 'just') cleaning out old photos and...
This would be a great photo for this week's contest.
Here's the info.
https://hive.blog/hive-106444/@nelinoeva/feathered-friends-show-me-a-8edc3abef05de
Such a beautiful bird! Our red tail hawk grabs its prey with it's talons, but Falcons use their beaks. I don't think I have ever seen that happen! This beauty looks rather majestic atop your truck!
Let's hope they return this year and if they would like to perch on the roof of my truck, they are more than welcome, even if they leave behind a few gifts for me.
How many bales do you put up each year?
The Peregrine falcon- I have that in a Canadian coin, hehehe!
That's is one of the things that I really enjoy about collecting silver, there are so many beautiful designs.
Before Uncle Lou passed away three years ago, we would pask his barn right to the rafters with about 3,000 bales. Now his daughter runs the operation and we usually do around 1,500 bales. Her dad would do a second cutting and sell about 1,500 bails a year while Lauren only does the first cutting, and uses most of the hay for herself. The nice thing about it is that whatever I need for our place, she is always happy to supply me with it.
The time we spend getting the hay in the barn is always well spent as it brings the family together and good times are always in store.
Hi @thebigsweedd, how marvellous it would have been to see a Hawk up close and personal. Thank you for all your photos. I love our feathered friends, there are so many of them, a variety of them with lots of character. I am always entertained.
It was a very special sighting. If they decide to return, I'm sure I'll be just as pumped up as I was the first two times they appeared from nowhere.
I'm glad you enjoyed this post. Thanks for stopping by and thank you very much for the reblog.
Have yourself a splendid day!
What a magnificent bird. I’ve seen a hawk flying low around here but never could get a photo of it.
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STOPThanks for the update!
You're welcome @thebigsweed 😊👍 that's deserved!