Cooper's Hawk "Lifer"- Right in My Backyard!

On Sunday, Alesia alerted me to a hawk in our backyard, checking out the busy feeders, no doubt. I grabbed my camera and was able to take several photos through a window before the hawk flew away. 

Initially, I thought this was a Red-shouldered Hawk. But after posting this picture on Facebook, including the site for the Carolinas Nature Photographers Association (CNPA), a couple fellow birders said it may be a Cooper's Hawk instead of a Red-shouldered.  My friend and neighbor Richard pointed out the long tail, which is distinctive to the Cooper I now know.  

So I went to my go-to source for such questions: whatbird.com's Bird Identification Forum.

Nice to have another "lifer" bird- especially in my own backyard. And thanks to the birding community for the identification assist!  

Amsterdam- A Darn Good Time!

Previously, I posted my "Birds of Amsterdam"

pictorial, showing 15 or so different types of birds I photographed during a visit to The Netherlands in December. This post showcases many of the other things Alesia and I did during the three days we had together in this old European city.  

Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport is quite a complex with a large shopping mall and an easy inside walk to some hotels. 

Our hotel, the Hilton Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, was big and beautiful, and as the name suggests, very close to the city's Schiphol Airort. Check out the curling sheet in the lobby shown below. That’s what the sport’s court or playing surface is called, I just learned.