A Broad-Winged Hawk In My Own Backyard

Ooooo! Just a half hour ago I think I saw a broad-winged hawk in our backyard. Wow. It was the largest bird I've ever seen in the wild this close up. Now, these pictures are awful (taken through a window screen, etc.), but he'd/she'd moved to the tree by the time I got my camera. 

At first, he calmly sunned himself on the fence, facing me, where I tried to memorize him while I wished so much that Tom was home, he being the major bird lover of the family.

Anyway, when the bird flew into the tree I heard a "kree, kree, kree" shriek as they're known to make. I'd just fed the sparrows, but the many excited little guys at our feeders had vanished at the sight of the hawk (or whatever it was).

So cool! And you can bet I was thanking God for such a special moment. 

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Here's what a broad-winged hawk looks like when someone knows how to use a camera.   ツ


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