Hoooos there?

I continue to be amazed at the diversity of wildlife that seems to be “reclaiming” its habitat in the Como Lake area.  A large part of that is due to the efforts of volunteers and organizations working to restore habitat in this area. Thursday morning another Como Lake walker alerted me to a family of Great Horned owls in the neighborhood.  That evening our family spotted an adult and an owlet just before dark.  The following day, in the same vicinity, I spotted an adult but was unable to spot the owlet.  As well, I examined the remnants nearby of a crow that I’m assuming was one of the owls’ latest meals.

 

Cooper’s Hawk and Flicker

A couple of days ago while walking the dog I stopped in an open area of Como Park to take a picture of a Flicker that was on the ground. As I was photographing, the bird rolled on its side and before I could think of a reason for such odd behavior, my viewfinder was filled with the explosion of a life and death struggle.  I now realize the Flicker was trying to make itself small so as to be less of a target for what followed – its demise from a strike of the talons of a Cooper’s Hawk.

 

 

 

Neighbors

A few shots of friends from the neighborhood as well as a neighbor (Bald Eagle) from across the river in Minneapolis.  As amazing as it is to see the bird living in the city, equally amazing to me is the size of some of the “timber” the birds lifted into place to construct their home.

 

 

 

Simplicity…