Yesterday I stalked the hawk who had moved into the barn for a few days hunting. Taking photographs of suspicious flying raptors is a very different concept from taking a photo of a cow as she stands and leans and stares. However, even without the right lens or light, I amused myself for a while. Bob from Texas Tweeties (my blog resident bird watcher, who is well worth watching himself, if you like birds, which I do) has told me that he (or she) is either a Coopers Hawk or the smaller Sharp Shinned Hawk. They are almost exactly alike though the Sharp Shinned Hawk (try and say that eight times in a hurry) is a bit smaller. 
All the cats were thrilled to be hauled back to the house and locked inside. They were literally and I mean literally climbing the walls in the barn to hunt the new guy, everyone was in a high state of agitation and someone would have lost an eye! These guys are lethal hunters and need to eat every day. There would have been tears before bed time. 
I sat in the barn with my camera propped on my knees for ages, until my arms ached (like a real bird watcher) and soon he began to fly to and fro.
There is very little light up that high in the barn. I am sitting on a kind of cat walk very high up in the eaves. 
We had opened the big doors in the hope that he would fly out so we could get on with mucking out. He got quite frantic when we started to work in the barn yesterday so we had to abandon the floors until he vacates the premises.
He seemed disinclined to oblige. He has the sweetest little call too. He would fly quite close and sit and watch me (wondering if I were food) then cheep. More of a bop actually. Such a tiny sound for so formidable a bird. 
So I just kept practising my wildlife photographs. You can see that I am sitting about 60 feet from this window. Lamenting the loss of my old zoom lens. 
They fly very fast, you cannot track this bird. I have many shots of empty space. 
The shot below is from earlier in the day when the sun was shining straight into the barn and even blurred with speed he is a magnificent bird. 
As a special thank you for the accomodation he decided not to kill any of my chickens, and the guineas lay low all day after screaming their heads off (wah, wah, plonk) half the morning. The barn was completely empty of pigeons all day too, though there was evidence of night time snacking! By evening it was quiet. So without fanfare he must have swooped low, seen the big open doors and silently moved on.
And so it dawns again – a Sunday morning. The weather man writes that there will be lots of sunshine today, which is good as the little plants in their little paper seed catalogue pots are once again lined up at the door awaiting their rides to the outside. I ran out of newspaper the other day and made plant pots from the pages of actual seed catalogues. The irony does not escape me!
Good morning.
celi
The Kitchen's Garden 
75 responses to “Hawk sets up Housekeeping in the Barn”
Amazing what a raptor can do to the peace on a farm, isn’t it??? Celi, do the precious little plants go in and out daily (when there is sun and it’s above freezing) for over a month or 6 weeks? And then into a cold frame and then into the ground? I know I sound like a dimwit asking these seemingly same questions repeatedly. I’m just trying to wrap my head around the timing of it all. My John has started seeds under lights in the garage with a small heater keeping them warm. They seem to be doing well. Thank goodness he knows a lot more about gardening than I do!!! 🙂 But I am learning!!! di
You are right Diane, any time and any size, once it gets over 40 out into the air and sun they go, you want good strong plants and then back inside once the temp drops for the evening. At this time of year we are endlessly moving plants in and out, and will do so for a while yet. (what i would do for a glasshouse!).. then they will go straight into the ground when the ground warms up. The cold frame has cabbages in it in little pots (all day and night) and lettuce sown straight into the ground.. When it gets warmer i just open the top of the cold frame to let the air in, then close it again at night. Cabbages, broccoli, celery and lettuce will go into the ground first. To be clear the cold frame and sowing inside are two different methods. Gardening is easy! c
I’m so glad the grand creature decided to leave on good terms. Imagine you dedicating all that time to catching these shots. Many thanks, Celi.
Looking for the shot is my favourite part of the day! c
Oh my goodness, you actually caught a couple positively exquisite shots!!! Breath-taking!! What lovely back-lit wing and tail feathers! What a sense of mood and place with this lighting.
g o r g e o u s hawk and what good fortune for you to encounter it this way, and then that he leave peaceably!
Hi Spree, Yes it was really a lovely peaceful encounter!
Well done you…your patience paid off!
Morning tanya! Hope you are having a good day as well! c
I read your comment about “… going for personality.” And you’ve accomplished that brilliantly!
Love these! ~ Lynda
Thank you Lynda, c
Love the “in-flight” action shots!
It was a great set, i was a bit sad when he left, we have lovely light today! c
Brilliant shots Celi – well done on being so patient! I am learning fast that patience is key to a lot of photography – even for the shots for my post on my garden. My fur children are really testing my patience with their complete lack of co-operation in front of the camera.
🙂 Mandy
Oh Mandy and how about when those cats come and rub their heads on your arm when you are down on the ground trying to get that shot of a lettuce or something.. sigh! c
Ah, for a zoom lens. I wish I’d had one last week when we spotted bald eagles. Despite the lack of “proper” equipment, you did well. What patience you have. But anything for a picture, right? Well, almost anything.
By the way you need to show us those seed catalog pots once the plants are up.
Oh yes, I will take shots of those pots, I just pricked out about 30 sage plants into the lot I made today, we will let them pretty up then i will take a few shots. I had a bald eagle ( a rather grubby one) in the yard about two years ago, I could NOT believe how big he was. The whole farmy went into a state of high panic then every animal and bird on the place quite simply disappeared. It was very quiet. Og course I also need a wide angle but i was never one for gear.. c
I’m late getting out today. Hawks are such amazing creatures aren’t they? We have a family of red tails who live in the tall pines three doors down and the young offspring hang out in our back yard in the spring. How much fun to sit and watch a hawk in your barn. Great images!
Yes i was pretty lucky! c
Oh Celi, doesn’t he look wonderful in flight! I haven’t seen a bird of prey for a while.
We have mostly water birds, bitterns, teals and woodland species blue wren, thrush and a variety of finches.
Although yesterday I had a very close encounter with a 5-6′ black snake when I was about to skim surface weed off the dam; they come to feast off the frogs.
You are a brave and crafty photographer, C. Wonderful!
i just found your blog, and both Mary and I love it! We host a blog and highlight a farm a week from all over – and would absolutely love to showcase your story and your farm – let us know if you would be interested! our blog is at : http://oldworldgardenfarms.wordpress.com/
Great job!!
Jim and Mary
Hi Jim and mary and Welcome, what a great idea. I shall email you!
I think these were great shots, Celi! I love these magnificent birds. Even in our suburban home we have regular “hawk sightings” and almost daily as I leave for work in the morning before 7 a.m. I’ll hear the cry. Sometimes I’m late for work because I have to find him…then I get the camera and that’s just silly, but I have all sorts of pictures of “my hawk”–with the bird appearing like a little black dot in the picture! So I must say that I enjoyed your birder adventure. I live a little vicariously through your on-line adventure stories 🙂 Debra
You got some good shots of that beautiful bird. Your patience paid off.
I’m usually not to happy when a hawk shows up in our yard, but yet, there is something majestic about such a powerful raptor, though. The ones around here tend to prefer pigeons, but then, we don’t have chickens within the city limits. 🙂 Thanks for sharing your photos; achy arms, you’ve earned your due!