... I see you!

I was going to post my first ever shot of a red tailed hawk but I decided it was 1) too serious, and 2) more likely to be seen and photographed again. Whereas this little chippie is not something I see often, even though he lives in the woods near our house. He (or maybe she) is extremely cautious and I've only caught a glimpse of him 2 or 3 times scampering up the tree or under the rock pile. So, when I saw him sitting on the stoop, catching some morning rays ... and me with Big Daddy in hand ... well, it was pretty easy after all to make a blip choice.

This morning hubs left on a week-long trip, which left me feeling out of sorts. Almost on cue, the male cardinal who seems to have claimed our yard as his own, showed up on the cherry tree and proceeded to chase off any male house finch (they are red) who dared land on the tree. He didn't chase any of the other birds, just the brightest red house finches. It was pretty funny because the cherry tree is wide and quite bushy with buds and flowers and whenever he'd chase one finch off, another would land. The result is that the cardinal spent about 10 minutes circling the tree, giving chase. Finally, he gave up and went to one of the trees at the edge of the woods and sang. He was with a female, so I guess he wanted to make sure she didn't see anything else in red that she might like better than him. I've read that male cardinals in the spring will sometimes do fearsome battle with their own reflections in windows and mirrors. Daft birds.

The chickadees haven't yet signed the lease on the summer cottage, although they continue to make improvements. They work feverishly for 30 minutes or so, then disappear for awhile. I suspect they are looking at other rentals, the cagey things!

It's Friday, folks! Looking forward to seeing your weekends on blip...