Something New On The Bayou

  About noon, I decided that the old dog needed a bit of exercise.  Lately, he wants to sleep.  Nothing else.  Sleep.  If he had his way, he would sleep 20 out of the 24 hours in a day.  I know he is ailing but too much sleep cannot be good.  So, a gentle walk with lots of rests may be what he needed.  At least, I would try.  It took nigh on a half hour to walk to the back of the house.  The path we took was only about 500 feet so it was definitely a slow-paced hike.  At one point, he plopped to the ground to nap.  This let me wander a bit without feeling like he was being pushed beyond his limit.  

  Suddenly, a high-pitched whistle sounded above my head.  High in an oak tree, I spied two nice sized birds.  The whistle was not familiar so, after checking the dog, I pushed through the underbrush to get a closer look.  Two hawks sat in the top of the tree.  As I neared, one flew to the creek bed while the other just eyed me curiously.  I did not recognize these two.  I am used to the Red-tailed Hawks and the Cooper's Hawks but this fine fellow was different.  I spent the next ten minutes trying to get a clear photo of the bird but the sunshine worked against me.  All I could get was shadows.

  The bird tired of me and flew off to find its mate and I headed back to retrieve the dog. (He was still napping and never missed me!)  Once inside, I examined my photos only to be disappointed with their quality.  The identity of the hawk was still up in the air.  Then, doing research, I came across a site that had the calls of certain hawks.  My fine feathered friends had a distinctive whistling call unlike the shrieking of the red-tails.  Tentatively, I have identified my new friends as Broad-winged Hawks!  This is exciting to me as I have not seen them in the area before.  I sure hope they decide to make the Bayou their home.  At least, this may give me the opportunity to get better photos and a sure-fire identity!  Also, if there are any experts out there that wish to give me a positive identity, I would definitely appreciate it!