Cooper's Hawk: "Morning Snowfall"

What is that perched in the distance?

(Cooper’s Hawk - photo by Neil Barker - February 18, 2024)

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A snowy morning, large flakes falling silently on the lake.

Perched afar, a lone figure is watching the world intently.

The silence is broken by cries and the crunching of footfalls.

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I took these photos on February 18, 2024. In the morning, it was snowing heavily and I decided to use my snowshoes. The last time I went snowshoeing was a month ago.

About an hour into my hike, I saw some American Crows in the tops of pine trees on the other side of Mud Lake. The crows were cawing loudly and I thought they were mobbing an owl or hawk. I left the main trail and started snowshoeing across the lake. I stopped about 100 yards from the crows and scanned those pine trees with my binoculars. I could see a small white shape on a tree branch. I switched to my camera to get a closer view. In the photo above, you can see a small white shape in the centre.

At first glance, I thought the white shape was a Barred Owl. As I got closer, I could see the colours and shape more clearly: not a Barred Owl. I walked until I was about 30yards away from the bird: Cooper’s Hawk.

By the time I got close to the Cooper’s Hawk, there was only a single American Crow. The rest of the crows had flown away back across the lake. I stopped for a few minutes and watched and appreciated this hawk in the falling snow.

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