"Rough"ly the best day of photography

Yesterday, the 30th, my mom and I ventured out into Columbia Falls to hopefully find one last new year bird before 2008 ends.

Cedar Waxwings

We found a couple Ceder Waxwings, but NO Bohemian Waxwings, which is quite odd this time of year. In town we saw a Steller's Jay and a Pine Grosbeak, along with the usual suspects. We headed over to the local Butcher to photograph the many Black-billed Magpies that eat the meat scraps. Arriving, we saw NONE!! Standing out side, we saw a Rough-legged Hawk flying toward us. We were thinking it was just going to give us a close flyby, it came closer, then LANDED on a pole right infront of us!!

I was SURE that those where the best pictures of a Rough-legged Hawk I would ever hope to get. I was wrong. Another friend said she had a bunch of magpies at her house, so we zipped on over. She also said there was a great big hawk. The target was the Magpies, because I had thought I had got the best hawk photos attainable. At her house there also was NO magpies, but there was a Rough-legged Hawk. This hawk was sitting on a pile of meat scraps, eating lunch. It let me, and my friend get within 3 feet of it!!!! WOW !! That was soooo AMAZING!!!! I got some amazing pictures!!!

Also, counting today (31st) I had seen White-winged Crossbills for 3 days in a row!!