About 5:30 PM yesterday I heard all the birds in the yard take off like a bomb exploding.
I glanced out and didn't notice anything and started to go back to my reading when it occurred to me the shadows in the plants around one of the bird baths didn't look right. So I turned on my camera and swung the 600 lens around to look. Just then the large shadow that shouldn't be there moved and looked at me so I could see what it was.
Hello Cooper's Hawk.
For over 5 minutes the hawk twisted and turned, hopped to the potted tree, then to other potted plants. Then out of sight behind them and after a while came out from behind them as I snapped pictures. In one of my last frames there is a bird in its talons on the ground. I think the hawk made a strike but the wounded bird got away into the narrow spaces between the large pots and the hawk was waiting for it to come out, it did and I didn't even realize I had the second picture because I looked down to make sure I didn't roll my chair over my little dog trying for a better angle and the hawk with its kill vanished. And no more birds before sun down. I don't really blame them much. I'd stay away a while also.

#1 Canon 80D, Tamron 150-600 G2 @ 600mm, 1/1000 @ f/7.1, ISO-5000
#2 same except 309mm and ISO-4000

About 5:30 PM yesterday I heard all the birds in the yard take off like a bomb exploding.
I glanced out and didn't notice anything and started to go back to my reading when it occurred to me the shadows in the plants around one of the bird baths didn't look right. So I turned on my camera and swung the 600 lens around to look. Just then the large shadow that shouldn't be there moved and looked at me so I could see what it was.
Hello Cooper's Hawk.
For over 5 minutes the hawk twisted and turned, hopped to the potted tree, then to other potted plants. Then out of sight behind them and after a while came out from behind them as I snapped pictures. In one of my last frames there is a bird in its talons on the ground. I think the hawk made a strike but the wounded bird got away into the narrow spaces between the large pots and the hawk was waiting for it to come out, it did and I didn't even realize I had the second picture because I looked down to make sure I didn't roll my chair over my little dog trying for a better angle and the hawk with its kill vanished. And no more birds before sun down. I don't really blame them much. I'd stay away a while also.

#1 Canon 80D, Tamron 150-600 G2 @ 600mm, 1/1000 @ f/7.1, ISO-5000
#2 same except 309mm and ISO-4000

About 5:30 PM yesterday I heard all the birds in the yard take off like a bomb exploding.
I glanced out and didn't notice anything and started to go back to my reading when it occurred to me the shadows in the plants around one of the bird baths didn't look right. So I turned on my camera and swung the 600 lens around to look. Just then the large shadow that shouldn't be there moved and looked at me so I could see what it was.
Hello Cooper's Hawk.
For over 5 minutes the hawk twisted and turned, hopped to the potted tree, then to other potted plants. Then out of sight behind them and after a while came out from behind them as I snapped pictures. In one of my last frames there is a bird in its talons on the ground. I think the hawk made a strike but the wounded bird got away into the narrow spaces between the large pots and the hawk was waiting for it to come out, it did and I didn't even realize I had the second picture because I looked down to make sure I didn't roll my chair over my little dog trying for a better angle and the hawk with its kill vanished. And no more birds before sun down. I don't really blame them much. I'd stay away a while also.

#1 Canon 80D, Tamron 150-600 G2 @ 600mm, 1/1000 @ f/7.1, ISO-5000
#2 same except 309mm and ISO-4000