It was quite a dismal, miserably, windy, dull, why-am-I-here morning.  The answer came almost immediately in my rear view mirror.  At my age I tend to look backwards quite a lot.  I pulled over, even though I was only travelling at 3 kph.  I grabbed my camera and left my car to cool down and rethink its attitude with its right wheels half in a ditch.  I managed a few shots of the half dozen bluebirds but certainly not under ideal conditions and I wasn't all that close to them.  The light was low, I was shooting mostly upwards with an overcast sky as background and wind was being PITA.  I shot at between ISO 1000 - 2000 at f8, with over-exposure 1/3 stop.  My hands were cold.  I know, I know .... gripe, gripe, gripe. 


Female Eastern bluebird


Male


The wind ruffling its coronal feathers

I thought I heard one yesterday afternoon. Today I certainly heard one out the front door again just before supper.
Can't miss that call
Napper advanced scout, I dunno

After I turned down my local sideline this morning my progress was immediately sidelined by the sighting of a Cooper's hawk directing its sight down the line instead of at me.  I curtailed by sidelining activity and grabbed my camera to take a few shots.  The light was poor.  I hate that.  The Cooper's hawk was close, I love that.








Ah, shucks ... I wuz only lookin.

I was outside retrieving something from my vehicle when I spotted an object at the corner of our garage and side walkway.
I walk over and here is an Opossum drinking water from our downspout. I opened the car and on the way back it was still there.
Went out again with phone hoping to grab a shot but it moved behind the neighbours plastic waste container box.

Little thing was darker Grey  than I remember them to be. Might have been the lighting, dunno
Napper

Three E. bluebirds in the sumac bushes on sideline 34 (Rouge land).  They were frenetic, moving from bush to bush and would not let me get close.  Upon first arrival, just as I entered the sideline, a falcon careened across the road, close to the ground, veered over the snowbank and disappeared from view.  No snow bunting were seen and Ethan was also a no-show.  There was a RTH circling high in the sky on the concession road but this was east of Altona Rd. just outside the hamlet of Cherrywood, the pothole capital of Pickering.  It may have been another hawk.