Stealth the Coopers Hawk, Aardvarks, Pale Male, and Yes, a Meteorite

 12:07:46  (All times PM) Note Stealth the Cooper's Hawk is sitting on the back fence, out in the open in a snow storm, big as live, near the sheltered feeding area.  Also note there aren't many if any feeder birds around.

Yes, the hawk now has a name.  I figured she might as well have, as she is the one who has likely been lurking for the last few weeks causing long stretches of deserted feeders. 

 By the way,  the sex of this hawk is still under consideration though I'm leaning toward female. 

 12:11:09  Note that the feeder birds are still congregated on the left, south, side of the lilac tree which is quite twiggy giving some protection from the hawk who seems to have disappeared.

12:42:43  The next time I pass through the kitchen there are only a few feeder birds in the lilac. 

12:43:11 The rest are making quick work of the seed on the ground.  I didn't realize it at the time but the usual group of Dark Eyed Juncos isn't on the ground feeding with the rest.  Nor are they in the lilac tree.

12:43:20  For whatever reason a couple Cardinals and a few sparrows and yes, there is actually one Junco are staying in the twiggy part of the lilac.
 Then I saw something as I looked at the photographs.

 See it?  What is the Cardinal looking at?

See what the Cardinal is looking at now?  Stealth is sitting in the lilac tree.  Big as life and twice as brazen.

She hasn't moved a muscle.  And what is she watching?

THIS.

As I'd not seen she was there,  I didn't have to make a decision.  I just went off about my business in another part of the house.

Though, upon thought,  we wouldn't disturb Pale Male while he was hunting would we?


Happy Hawking
Donegal Browne

 http://www.veteranstoday.com/2013/12/16/aardvarks/

As to why the aardvarks?  I find them remarkably endearing.  Plus Aardvarls have their own private niche in the Order Tubulidentata and the only living member of the Family Orycteropodidae as well.
They are it. 


Photo Courtesy of Francois Portmann

SPEAKING OF PALE MALE--
In case you haven't seen it yet....
Check out Francois Portmann's video of  Pale Male bearding the 2016 blizzard.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-BNRlwhNTc&feature=youtu.be

Once again I am amazed at Pale Male's tenacity, verve, and his capacity for being in the moment reasonably unfazed.


PLUS we're always told that for whatever reason meteorites and falling space junk just don't hit people?  
Well just maybe they do...

Indian scientists are investigating whether a man was killed by a meteorite, which if confirmed would be the first recorded death from falling fragments of space rock in almost 200 years.

http://in.reuters.com/article/india-meteorite-death-tamilnadu-idINKCN0VH111