Yesterday I went out to the Red-tailed Hawk nest that I’ve been watching. Here’s what I saw:

As I arrived, I saw the flash of orange of a Bullock’s oriole. These showy birds live in the mountain shrub community of the foothills. Always a pleasure to see them.

Several Killdeer live in the marshy area next to a gravel parking lot. I always have a really hard time seeing these birds — either they blend in well with the surrounding gravel and dirt, or they are in the rushes hiding.

Of course, I always search the nest to see what’s happening there. This time, I noticed something a little odd. Do you see it? The spot of green on the rim is a plant growing in the twigs. I don’t think hawks would let a plant grow up in the nest. With that, I have to reluctantly say that this year, the Red-tailed Hawks nested someplace else.

But they’ll be back, and so will I.