Red-shouldered Hawk Shines on Sign!

A relaxing walk in the park can produce some nice surprises and excitement, especially when I have my camera and am looking for birds to photograph. 

Such was the case last weekend during a stroll around the old Kings Grant Golf Course.

From a distance, I spotted a large bird perched on a Do Not Enter sign. I quickly surmised it to be a Hawk, a red-shouldered one. 

I took some pictures from behind like the one above, then slowly moved in the shade of a tree to see the bird’s face. I’m sure it saw me. These raptors don’t miss much I am sure.

The Hawk proved a good model! It let me take all the photos I wanted and didn’t fly away until I walked away. 

We saw a second Red-shouldered fly to a nearby tree. I wasn’t able to photograph that one but am very pleased with the ones I took of this beauty. 

Turkey Vultures wouldn’t make many people’s beautiful bird list. Natures clean up crew I call them. The All About Birds site describes the Turkey Vulture: "These birds ride thermals in the sky and use their keen sense of smell to find fresh carcasses. They are a consummate scavenger, cleaning up the countryside one bite of their sharply hooked bill at a time, and never mussing a feather on their bald heads."

We spotted a pair of Vultures on the ground doing what they do. They were feeding on something. You can see the prey a little to the left of the bird. 

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What were they picking and pecking? 

This is what was left of a snake. It was covered with bugs. Yuck! 

I decided to bug the big birds to see if I could get a decent in-flight image. 

I’m sure the Turkey Vultures were back to the snake carcass after we walked away. 

The other good photo op this day was a majestic Monarch Butterfly. 

It was so involved with these pretty flowers, Smooth Asters I believe, that I was able to observe and take photos from just a few feet away. 

Smooth Aster flowers are described this way: "a hardy plant that defies frost and keeps on blooming, often into November, with a profusion of lavender-blue, star-like flowers."

It was a pretty day to visit this pretty nearby park.

The Hawks and Vultures encounters made the outing even better!