Snowed In

A bird with very fluffed up feathers is sitting on a snow covered branch looking directly at the camera. It has yellow eyes.
Snowed In

Winter’s coming and it’s getting colder for us and for all the wildlife around, including birds like this one. Here’s a challenge for all birders: what do we think this is? At first I thought ‘owl’ but on looking at it more closely I don’t think it is. I asked a local birder by email, with no response, but there were a few suggestions as to possibilities. This was taken through my living room window a few winters ago. The answer as to the identity is given below the next section if you want to see if you guessed correctly.

You can visit my animal photos, including birds, at my Animals gallery here.

It is a Red Tailed Hawk, fluffed up from the cold. It was difficult to be sure, as mostly these birds migrate south for the winter. In Nova Scotia, however, they stay year round. If you guessed that, then well done!!

4 Responses

  1. I wouldn’t have gone beyond saying “hawk” When they’re all fluffed up like it is very hard to tell. And a red-shouldered vs red-tailed hawk is hard for me to tell apart unless I see a splayed tail

  2. The expression on the bird, whichever it may be, is priceless…a sort of “you talkin to me?” (done with a Brooklyn accent). Good capture, Ellie.

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