Dear Tweeters,
Yesterday, 21st August 2015, a Cooper's Hawk made a pass at my eight-pound Shih-Tzu, but veered off after getting within centimeters of the little dog. Fluffie is blind in one eye, and never even knew she was under consideration as a prey item. My chickens and ducks had run for cover seconds earlier--they have been harassed by this bird, or another Accipiter, several times recently. I am hoping that Fluff is at least a few grams above the acceptable size for prey of the Cooper's Hawk.
Today I found two good birds in Skagit. At the West Ninety was a Pacific Golden Plover. Kraig Kemper came out and got to look at it before it disappeared. This bird had allowed me fairly close approach at first, but soon, a flock of Green-winged Teals came in and started foraging near it; the ducks kept panicking whenever I got close, which tended to put the plover up as well.
Later in the afternoon, a huge flock of gulls and terns at North Fork Access included a Franklin's Gull.
Yours truly,
Gary Bletsch