I took a Sunday drive along Quincy Junction Road to see what I could see. Quite cold, even though sunny, so I was prepared to cheat a little, that is, take a few photos from the comfort of my car. I usually frown on that sort of thing, but once in a while I get lazy and have trouble keeping warm. So, here are some of the results. There's a good-sized farm pond just before the intersection with Chandler Road. A little over a mile from downtown Quincy, this area has many features attractive to wildlife, not the least of which is Greenhorn Creek and some impressive snags which make great perches for birds of prey, although they often seem to prefer power poles. After watching the Canada Geese for a while in the area of the pond, I spotted a hawk out in the middle of a pasture. I knew that if I opened my car door or worked the power window, the hawk would like fly even further away. I just waited and it jumped around a bit, as if chasing some small, subterranean mammals. Then it took flight and circled the valley, probably covering over a mile before landing on a power line just a few yards from where it took off. I was able to drive slowly until I was just below the power line. The hawk watched me carefully, but didn't take flight. I was able to get a pretty good picture through my windshield. He/she was apparently startled by the motion of my putting the camera down on the passenger seat. Maybe saw a reflection off the camera. I'm not so good at identifying hawks, especially when they're in winter plumage. Birders who can identify it are welcome to send me a name. I'm betting red-tail because I see a bit of that color on the edges of the tail, but wouldn't be surprised if I'm wrong. As I prepare the next post, featuring the second half of this drive, I am wondering if "Sunny Sunday" is redundant:-)
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