And then there were none...

I was just getting ready to have breakfast, watching the mobs of birds at the feeders.  And then - whoosh!  All the birds were gone and this fine young lady landed on one of the cherry trees.  A young female Cooper's Hawk, one of two common accipiter species we get here.  I kind of wish she'd been able to grab one of the cowbirds or even maybe a grackle or blackbird - without catching something, she won't survive her first winter.  It used to bother me when I'd find a pile of feathers in the yard, but I've come to appreciate that there is a natural order in nature.  And some must die so others survive.  Anyway, I snapped several random pics through the windows before she left.  Miraculously, the camera settings were okay for the light conditions since I certainly didn't have time to check.  I will put the other view of her in Extra. I went with this one because you can see the lovely patterns on her back as well as the distinctive tail.  When she matures her back will be a dark gray and her eyes red.

I'm getting ready to take Jax out for a walk in the park.  They have one road that is always cleared in winter and it will give us at least a mile, maybe two if they've plowed further.  All the trails are a no-go as everything is ice at the moment.  Even poor Jax slipped and fell on a patch of ice this morning.  He made a quick recovery and then spotted the neighbor's trash can which he apparently thought was a real and imminent danger.  Full hackles from nose to tail and a most ferocious growl before a full-speed retreat to the back door.

So the past few nights Jax has been not wanting to go to bed.  He sleeps in a gated area right next to our bed with a comfy dog bed, a plush toy and several fleeces that he can curl up in.  Usually when it is bedtime, he runs up to his bed, curls up, and is fine.  Last two nights he doesn't want to come upstairs, doesn't want to get in his bed and then spends the next 10-15 minutes whining.  Night before last we took him back outside, thinking maybe he hadn't completed all business on the pre-bedtime trip.  Last night we just let him cry himself out.  But wondering if any of my puppy parents out there have had similar experiences?  He's 6.5 months old now so definitely a teenager.

Going with the dark with arabica again today.

xo
Debbi