hello tweets,

i am in the process of moving into the university district, where
i am close to almost everything that i care about (except for my
beloved flock of lories).this morning, as i was walking aorund the
u district, enjoying the unseasonally (and uncommonly) nice weather,
i was rewarded by a close look at a female cooper's hawk. i had
caught glimpses of her several times before in the u district, but
the weather was so awful that i was only guessing as to her identity
before. this time, she landed on the gutters of a building, about
five feet above my head. i got amazing looks at her, despite the
fact that my binoculars were in my office instead of around my
neck. the pigeons went nuts, of course, and exploded into the sky
shortly before this cooper's hawk plopped down. then the crows got
into the act and started to harass her until she flew across the street
and sat near the top of a cedar tree, where the branches protected her
from crow attacks.

currently, i am being serenaded by a cockatiel while i finish grading
final exams. this cockatiel moved into my office for the holidays
because no one else is here to keep him entertained. this bird loves
me, much to the amazement of my colleagues; this particular bird hates
women, they tell me.

anyway, back to grading exams! happy holidays, everyone, and good
birding to all.

regards,

Deborah Wisti-Peterson, PhD Candidate nyneve at u.washington.edu
Department of Zoology, University of Washington, Seattle, Wash, USA
Visit me on the web: http://students.washington.edu/~nyneve/
Love the creator? Then protect the creation.