For my second visit to the vast tracts of wilderness north of Lewisville Lake I headed over to the west side of the Trinity River, to a place known as the Clear Creek Natural Heritage Center (CCNHC). Clear Creek Natural Heritage Center is part of the City of Denton’s park system. Here is how it
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Every month it gets harder and harder to pick just three observations to highlight in this feature. With now over 140 participating members, we are getting so many special and unique submissions that choosing only three is nearly impossible. Last month I cheated a bit and picked four. I’m going to try to be a
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Many people hold a particular fascination with raptors—otherwise known as birds of prey. I know I do. These big, powerful birds inspire us with their raw power, grace and majesty. So respected are these birds that they are often chosen as sports team mascots. Many countries use birds of prey as their national symbol. The
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Dateline – June 20, 2014 NOTE: This post is part of a continuing series of observations: [ First | << Prev | Next >> ] There was a lot of wildlife activity at the Carrollton park this week, and I have a number of interesting observations to share in this post, but like always I
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Dateline – May 25, 2014 Today’s post contains a hodgepodge various wildlife sightings made around the metroplex over of the course of about seven days in late March and early April. I’ll be using this article as a kind of clearinghouse for pictures that are interesting enough on own, but even better as part of
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American Crows do not like birds of prey. When crows find a hawk or owl it is not uncommon for them to gang up on the unsuspecting raptor. Crows gather around and nosily berate the targeted bird in a effort to drive it away. This behavior is known as “mobbing” and it can create quite
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Dateline – October 15, 2013 When I go out looking for wildlife to photograph I generally prefer to start my hikes at the crack of dawn. Morning is one of the two times each day when wildlife is likely to be most active, and of the two it is probably the best. With a full
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This is a sleek adult male Cooper’s Hawk. He perched atop a typical suburban fence with a recently captured Mourning Dove held in his talons. Observations Details County – Denton City – Carrollton Date – Sep 19, 2013 Time of Day – Morning Temperature – Warm (70-89°F/21-32°C) Weather – Partly Cloudy Habitat – Residential-Single Family
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A frantic screech and squawk caught my attention one afternoon while I was filling my car with gas. A quick look around revealed this large female Cooper’s Hawk on the ground in a grocery store parking lot. I quickly grabbed my camera and started shooting pictures even though it was still unclear exactly what was
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Ann Mendoza has Cooper’s Hawks in her backyard. A whole family of them! From the looks of things there are at least five fledglings of various ages documented in these photographs—that’s a big brood! In one of the pictures mom or dad makes an appearance and sends the youngsters scattering! Observation Details County – Dallas
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This is a fledgling Cooper’s Hawk. This bird is almost certainly still being fed by its parents, which explains his complete lack of interest in the Fox Squirrel climbing in the tree just behind him. A well fed hawk has no need to hunt! The last picture in the sequence shows that the squirrel came
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