Douglas County, Missouri
December 1, 2020
We moved to this area in 2012 and have been driving back and forth along Hwy MO-14 between Ava and Gentryville, Missouri, a minimum of two times a week. I’m not sure when we first noticed the blob of white in the trees during late fall and winter near the bridge over White’s Creek. From a distance it looked like some Walmart bags stuck on the bare branches. No, it couldn’t be that! It was not always there and not always in the same place. It must be a bird of some kind. The creek was close by, so maybe an egret or a heron? It was always too far away to tell, and of course, no camera or binoculars at hand to look through.
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That is the story up until a week ago. It was our first sighting this year and again no camera! So I made a mental note to bring the camera next time — and to make sure that next time happened quickly. Every Monday morning I go to Mountain Grove to run errands — not to Ava. Ava is a little further away and the road is steep and curvy. Not a big deal. This Monday I headed for Ava with my camera on the car seat, ready for the chance to figure out what this bird could be.
I made the trip to Ava without any sighting of this elusive bird. After visiting the Post Office and finishing my shopping I headed back east on Hwy MO-14. About eight miles out of town, as I approached the bridge I saw something white through the trees. There was a place to pull over just ahead, so I did. I turned my camera on and aimed at the white blob and saw this:
OK, it’s definitely a bird. It looks like a raptor of some type. Turn around, bird! Who are you?
OK, do you have any markings at all or are you pure white? Show me more!
OK, no markings that I can see. I’ll just keep shooting — maybe the bird will fly away and I can see if there are any markings beneath the wings. But no, we are perfectly comfortable on this branch. We will stay here — we are not afraid of your metal beast. We have lived here a long time and you can’t hurt us. Are you still there? Off you go — leave me alone!
I kept shooting but eventually decided that I did not want to disturb this lovely bird any longer, and set my camera aside and drove home feeling pretty good about the encounter.
Later I tried to properly identify the bird and with help from iNaturalist and OceanDiver.
The iNaturalist users responded with the following exchange:
I have come to the conclusion it is most likely a red-tailed hawk, but as everyone noted, without markings it is hard to be sure.
When I started up my driveway I noticed the deer were there, so I stopped and took a few photos of them before continuing the rest of the way.
And of course, the bird feeders are now attracting more and more birds each day, such as this Red-bellied Woodpecker:
And this male northern cardinal in the bushes near the feeders:
And this dark-eyed junco on my roof:
Life seems to be returning to normal, but all-in-all I think this was a very good day!
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Now It's Your Turn
What have you noted happening in your area or travels recently? As usual post your observations as well as their general location in the comments.