Sister Rain’s Note:
Fridays are for stories about Piper, but this week Piper has, once again, graciously permitted mom to use his spot for a bird story of another kind.
Last January, my husband called me to the sunroom at the back of our house in Pennsylvania. He wanted to show me a large bird perched atop our fence. Later, using the photos he took, we were able to identify it as a Cooper Hawk. It was spectacular.
Ten months later, clear across the country along the Puget Sound, Mister Rain noticed a bird of significant size in a tree next to our rental home’s deck. The inside of its tail created an incredibly stunning striped pattern.
Sending a picture he had taken to a falconer we have come to know (more on that in a future story), we quickly received a reply that the bird was an immature female Cooper Hawk, adding that she was beautiful. I am no expert, but I would agree.
Cooper Hawks are woodland raptors widespread and common across North America, known for their exceptional speed and agility. With long, rounded tails and short, broad wings, they are stealthy hunters specializing in catching birds and small mammals. Their numbers have increased in recent decades, with a current estimated population of 1 million.
Despite that high number, it was the first time I had ever encountered a Cooper Hawk, let alone more than one, 3,000 miles apart.
In general, hawks are considered good omens and symbols of good luck. Our meetings, two in a million, were certainly my great fortune.
#sisterrain #alittlesightalotofheart #piper #birdmom #conure #parrot #adoptdontshop #ahelpingwingparrotrescue #cooperhawk
