Holiday Inn Select Richardson

Family Town

by kd_baby

Richardson is a fairly mature (i.e. older) town that's extremely family oriented. It's home to the Univ. of Texas at Dallas (UTD), Texas Instruments (TI), and well known for its high ranking school districts. Richardson is more mellow than say Addison. Nightlife isn't really their thing, but if you want to raise a family, you should consider moving here. I've only worked in the area. Most of my memories are from working out (at lunchtime), buying groceries, or dining out.

Squirrels 2, Hawks 0

by mccalpin

"The Stage"

As some of you know, I have a bird feeder right outside my home office, where all sorts of wildlife converge: birds, mice, squirrels, and so on. Occasionally, other animals come to visit, such as predators like hawks - who give a new meaning to the term "bird feeder" ;-)

On July 3rd, I posted a short story about a hawk who missed a strike on a squirrel who was feeding on the ground. The hawk landed a few feet away, and when he did nothing, the squirrel charged the hawk and drove it away. See http://forum.virtualtourist.com/forum-0-46-Miscellaneous-World-1-forum.html .

It happened again...and this time, I have photos!

"The Target: Squirrel on the Ground"

Once again, there is a squirrel on the ground, feeding on peanuts that have fallen out of a bird feeder overhead. The squirrel is not too concerned for its safety, given that it is partially under a holly tree, next to a fence, and near a group of trees.

Note that hawks tend to avoid ground strikes, because of the possibility of hitting the ground and damaging their lightweight bones and feathers. However, sometimes a thing seems too good to pass up...

"Frustrated Hawk"

Once again, a young hawk - possibly the same one that tried a few weeks before - made a strike at the squirrel on the ground...and missed.

In disgust, the hawk flies up on to a branch on a nearby tree (the tree in the background of the first photo).

"The Counterattack Begins"

While the first squirrel continues to ignore the situation, another squirrel sees the hawk in the tree, and takes umbrage.

See the squirrel in the circle at the left as it starts up the tree towards the hawk in the circle on the right. You will need to click on the photo to blow it up to see the detail.

"The Counterattack Progresses"

In the next photo, the squirrel is now on the same branch as the hawk, saying loud and ugly things to the bird. The hawk has noticed the squirrel and has changed positions. See the circles.

Shortly after this photo, the squirrel got close enough to the hawk to force the hawk to fly away.

"Life is Good"

While the drama above was unfolding, the squirrel on the ground totally ignored it. It continued to feed on peanuts on the ground, oblivious to the fact that there was a hawk on a branch less than 20 feet away.

"The Hawk Finally Does His Parents Proud"

It is now October (some three months after the previous photos), and today a young hawk lands on the same tree branch as before...this time with a kill. Well, it wasn't a squirrel...it was probably a dove...but at least Mom & Dad Hawk won't have to hang their heads in shame any longer...

(Note for the squemish, don't blow up the photo)...