Wildlife of The Azure Gate Bed and Breakfast - Part XII

As many of you know, we have had to close temporarily for travelers due to the pandemic. We have had some members of our family here, including our two grandchildren for a few days. And while we are "staying at home" as per the guidelines, it doesn't mean we aren't seeing wildlife.

In the past 24 hours we've seen: a Bobcat, 5 Mule Deer, 4 Javelinas, a Coyote, a Desert Kingsnake, 2 Jackrabbits, a Tarantula, many lizards and birds, including a Roadrunner and our resident Cooper's Hawk that is sitting in one of our bird baths as I type this.

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Now on to Today's Post:

Our most frequent hawk is the Cooper's Hawk seen on a daily basis. Every few days a Sharp-shinned Hawk drops by for a drink and/or meal.

Here are a couple of Sharp-shinned photos taken since the pandemic began in March.

Juvenile Sharp-shinned Hawk

Adult Sharp-shinned Hawk

Hawks: Part IX

The Sharp-shinned Hawk.

The Sharp-shinned Hawk is the smallest Accipiter hawk in North America. It breeds mainly in Canada and Alaska and summers in the lower half of the United States and Mexico. 

Like many raptors, the SSH numbers declined during the DDT pesticide years. They regained population but now are being affected by climate change.

They have long tails and rounded wings that make them very agile fliers that can speed through forests to capture their usual prey -- song birds.

Although they are not as abundant as Cooper's Hawks here at The Azure Gate, we do see them on a regular basis.