the raptor is back

The mysterious raptor nesting in the top my elm tree returned this year. Possibly a Mississippi Kite, a Merlin Falcon or a Sharp-Shinned Hawk. Having no binoculars, it's hard to determine. But it's cry sounds so sad!

Not many birds brave our neighborhood; I find lots of feathers dropped in our yard.

These are some sketches I did from "life" last year when I first noticed the birds.

This journal page was drawn from a bird book as I tried to identify the birds. Last year, there was a lot more activity as a male and female raised a nest-full of young. This year there seems to be only a single bird.