The USPS issued a new stamp yesterday. I read this in the news this morning, so I went to their website to check it out. I ended up buying a sheet of 20. I like the way the feathers are arranged to make the date 1776. This got me to thinking about some recent feathers I have found in my garden this summer.
About 2 to 3 weeks ago I was looking out my kitchen window, and I wondered where the hawks have been going these days because I had not seen any in a couple months. About 3-4 days later I witnessed a hawk visiting our garden. It was smaller than any I had seen before. I guessed it was a young hawk. You would think I would be a hawk expert by now, but I am not. I cannot determine whether the hawk was a Cooper’s Hawk or a Sharp-Skinned Hawk. The Sharp-Skinned is the smaller of the two, however, a young Cooper’s would be smaller than an adult. I was very excited when I found a feather in my garden that must be from the hawk I spotted. He has visited a few more times since the first sighting. I will show you the hawk feather with a dove feather, and 2 catbird feathers. All are from our garden.
Update on 7/9/2026 -- The hawk was back today. It was sitting on the old raised bird bath. A very heavy solid bird bath that looks like stone, though because of the worn look on the bottom of the bowl makes me think it is a composite of materials.
I got a better look at this hawk through binoculars; and because of where it was sitting, I could judge its size better than previous sightings. The hawk has no red or rust coloration, possibly because of age. I also got a good look at its talons (claws) They did not appear nearly as big as other hawks I have seen. I also got a better look at its tail feathers, and they looked more squared off than rounded. I am becoming more convinced that it is a relatively young sharp-skinned hawk. The yard was clear of all other birds, so it is still capable of frightening the other birds. (Sorry, no pics) I would have to already be in the yard with my camera in a hiding spot to capture a good picture. Its visits are too irregular, and I am too busy inside to spend time doing this.
The reason I was able to capture this picture is because I already had my camera set up on our deck with a long lens before the hawk came hunting. It was pure luck, and as I recall it was my birthday, so I had taken the day off work. My husband and I later traveled downtown for some sightseeing, though I don't think anything we saw there was as exciting as what I saw at home in the morning.
movingforwardslowly 