What is your weather like ... today

[HARO]

Very cold this morning. 24 degrees. Had a visitor today at lunch. Some kind of small falcon was stocking the bird feeders out front. These guys like to eat small birds and they are generally well feed. The first I have seen them this close to the house and he or she did not mind me being close.

Sharp-shinned hawk. Not a falcon, but an accipiter. Around 10" long, with a 21" wingspan.
John

 

[icsd71]

Very good. Also called a coopers hawk. No wonder I was not familar with it. It is a migratory bird that seems to lay over if you will in Illinois at winter time. My Favorites are the American kestrels. We have a lot of theose during the warmer months.

 

[HARO]

It looks like a Cooper's, but is only about 2/3 of the size. They are two different species.
John

 

[sissy]

It's a birdie

 

[CountryEscape]

I looked up the sharp shinned hawk, and they seem to be more gray than the ones I've been seeing. The distinctive thing I've noticed on them (always see them in flight, never have spotted them sitting on a wire or branch yet) is that the base of their tail is white, and the end of the tail is brown or maybe it is gray. When I looked up the sharp shinned, there was a pic that showed it in flight, with that white base to the tail, so maybe that is what I've seen. Then I looked up the Cooper's Hawk, but the tail on that one is brown and white almost striped, so it must be the sharp shinned hawk! Cool!!! Thanks for identifying it, John.

 

[icsd71]

LOL Funny sissy! Yes some of use are just that way when it comes to wildlife.

 

[Ruben Miranda]

Hello
cool and raining here
looks to be raining most of the weekend and we got snow on top of the mountains.

We had a hawk similar to the one but I have not seen it in a few weeks now must have been migrating threw I guess.
It was hunting our little sparrows and it was not real scared of me or it's surroundings at all.
Awesome bird
And never saw it near my ponds it did drink out of the bird bath though.

Ruben M.

 

[sissy]

GEEZE AND HERE IN THE 60's and supposed to be a little warmer tomorrow .

 

[CountryEscape]

Get ready, Sissy, I worry that our colder temps may be heading your way. But, it's getting warmer here again, in the 50's by weekend, I think, which will be wonderful! I don't think it's a hunting weekend, but I HAVE to get my Christmas cookies baked and decorated. The neighbor kids are coming over to help me decorate, so I'll make plenty of extras to send lots home with them. Then my daughter comes home for 5 days next week Thursday (from UT). Woohoo!
Everyone get outside tonight! The meteor showers are supposed to be the best from dusk tonight until dawn tomorrow a.m. Saw one on my way home from work tonight, and 3 last night! Really cool. Just stare at any part of the sky for a minute and bet you'll see a meteor ... shooting stars!!!

 

[callingcolleen1]

Here reporting in as usual from the Frozen North, and on a good day I swear I can see the funny lights from Santa's Workshop, way over the horizon next to the pot of Gold! Ha Ha. Currently not to bad at 28 degrees F. No wind right now and all is calm.

 

[j.w]

Too much cloud cover here to see anything up in the skies tonight dog gone it! We have snow on top of the hills around us also. It's not melting during the daylight hours either. 39* right now and falling. You are colder than us here Colleen but at least you have the nice sunshine to brighten your days. We have drabola although not a drop of rain landed on my head today while walking. Yesterday found a Rubbermaid container w/ lid in perfect condition and a broom on the road. Guys on the road asked when I walked by if I was part of the road clean up crew

 

[pond42sliders]

I don't think i really know what cold is. especially, compared to most of your all's weather. I think it's going to be about 37 degrees at 4am in my neighborhood. But, still very cloudy and gonna rain again tomorrow. Big deal...I know. I do remember living in Conneticut...when I was little...and it was cold. Oh, yeah, we had a natural pond in our back yard. my dad used to let us kids take turns while he would push us around on the ice, using one of those old 1950's kitchen table chairs. You know the ones with the curved metal bottom. Me and my brother would take turns riding and hanging wet socks over the fireplace. when the socks were dry, it was time to ride.
I, too, have a Hawk that I see quite a bit. It's unusual for them to even be in the city. one day i saw one of those big black crows chasing it from tree to tree, so I think it might be trying to find someplace to live, I don't really know, though. It looks like a young bird. It's a red tail hawk. I'll try to get a picture, I've seen it four times, now.
Well, you all enjoy those fire places...i'm not being mean, i really mean that.

 

[mrsclem]

22 here this morning. Coldest temp yet this year. I took the netting off the ponds a couple of days age as the leaves are finally all down. Still haven't seen any ice yet so I will keep the pumps running till it gets colder (if it ever does). lost a couple of fish out of our largest pond, one found dead on the bottom and one that I had to put down due to a large open wound. My fault as with the temps up and down I haven't been watching things like I should. The pond is overstocked but I figured with winter being here, fish dormant. NOT! Water changes done do hopefully things are back to normal. Dinner party here Saturday so looking forward to showing off my babies. Did anyone check out the meteror shower last night? Awesome!

 

[callingcolleen1]

Pond Sliders that was a nice Christmas Story, sounds like life was simple and yet much more fun back then in the 50's. I had fun in the early 70's skating on the river ice and getting pulled by a sled on the snow and toboggoning down a snowy winter hill.

Mrsclem hope all goes well with your dinner party! Sorry to hear about the fish, hope they are doing better when the company comes down.

JW how's the road cleanup coming, ha ha ha

 

[addy1]

21 at home...........60 here pouring rain!