So this year, in our backyard, we've seen/ heard the following;

Red Tail hawk family across street. That was the snowflake hawk. Kept screeching for its parents two months after parents left (we could hear the difference and positions)

Cooper's Hawk, first house north, in the pines, they loved racing the rabbits and bunnies in mine and others' backyard(s). Never saw who ever won a race. Sure was exciting to watch.

A Black Phoebe pair which made a nest under patio awning, in a wall planter. Everything (surviving chick of three) cleared out over night except the nest - no evidence there was a bird there two nights ago.

For the last three days, was 180 miles away in Yuma hunting dove. I won - I think. (Not "one shot, one kill)

And now, a pair of screech owls are in the hood. At least one is using my palm tree to get rid of pellets.

We've been having fun watching a couple families of Pheasants wander around our yard. They live in a shelter belt behind our house and in the spring we hear the males as they crow and flap their wings. Now we watch around 20 - 30 little guys wander through the grass a few times per day.

The 80 y.o. walnut tree in back of the cemetery across the street had been dead for 15 years .

The great horned owls loved it's rotted out cavity for a home.

They made seven owls in the hat tree over 5 years.

They would come over to our property to train them to hunt

Our bird feeders would attract little four leggers that thought the spilled seed was wonderful,
That is until. . . . . Death from above.

That incessant screeching from fledglings gets old p.d.q.

sadly they cut the tree down, as it was "unsightly "

This message has been edited. Last edited by: bendable,

I've been noticing more bald eagles this year than previously. A few weeks ago, I took my son to his favorite park and there were two bald eagles circling overhead, and a third that came and went from a nest high up in a tree. Was pretty cool to see three adults in the wild at the same time.

Locally we have been seeing more. We have a large creek nearby that leads to the lake, they love fishing in that creek as it has several shallow spots the fish have to navigate through.

This years patio animals:
8-10 Peanut addicted Chipmunks.
2 Obese Gray Squirrels.
2 Ill tempered Red Squirrels.
2 Rabbits. One large. One fist sized.
Several Raccoons.
1 Black Bear.
Numerous Chickadees, Nuthatches, Robins and Goldfinches.