Harriet is a Sharpie (Sharp Shinned Hawk) who started visiting my garden in September, 2005. Here's old pencil-legs the first time I saw her (they don't call them "sharp shinned" for nothin'):
Sharpies are the smallest hawks. It will be hard to see this in my pics because
I take you up close, but here's a pic of her on my wheel barrow for size reference
(she said she'd help me with my garden chores if I put up some bird feeders for her):
She's about the size of a robin.
So I put up a gazebo full of bird feeders, but Harriet erroneously thought that I meant this to be a place for her to feed *on* birds. The gazebo has 6 bird feeders hanging at the top for the perch-feeding-birds, and more sunflower seeds on the ground for the ground-feeders.
Here's a close up of the top of the gazebo with many LB's (Little Birds) socializing while waiting to eat at the feeders:
For those seeking the LB names, there were Lesser Goldfinches, Pine Siskins, Purple Finches, and a Junco there that day.
When Harriet arrives, the LB's take off in a rapid manner.
I decided to give the ground feeding LB's a little protection from Harriet. I left a roll of
wire-fence in the gazebo with holes large enough for the LB's to get through, but not Harriet.
Harriet was not wild about this idea. In fact, one might say she was genuinely miffed with me.
Isn't she beautiful when she's angry?
Here you can see Harriet's change to adult coloration (at two years old). Her eyes changed from gold to copper; back feathers from brown to grey; and her chest feathers changed from brown and white to rufus and white.
She continues to come to the gazebo looking for nummies.
Here she is watching the nummies whisk right by her
When it's cold out she fluffs up her feathers;
when it's warm she slicks them down (with hair gel of course).
Sometimes she has a bad hair day
When she finds me *really* annoying, she glares at me
and then flies away.
Sometimes she sits on the fence and watches the gazebo, hoping the LB's will come back.
Here she's pooping. How rude!
She prefers a bit of privacy at these moments.
But honestly, she can't lecture about etiquette when she has such
bad table manners - what a mess!
Still, she's mighty pretty.
And the allegations that Harriet is a hippie who's always on pot are true!
For size reference, this is a very large pot (5 gallon).
*Serious* bird photographers only approve of pics of birds on natural perches,
not gazebos, fences and pots. Here are a few pics for those of you who are serious:
Enough of this serious stuff!
