Today I have some clandestine photos to share with you, dear Readers.  Provided on a need-to-know basis.  Nudge, nudge, wink, wink.  The subjects are well camouflaged.

I recently went on a short walk with my son for the purpose of some online activity.  Suddenly I heard the unmistakable sound of a bird of prey.  “What was that?” I exclaimed.  “Oh yeah,” my son said, “two sparrow-hawks nest in those pine trees over there.”  To say I was indignant, Ladies and Gentlemen, was a total understatement.  I demanded to know why this information had been withheld from me.  Was the information top-secret, only to be disclosed to those who ‘need-to-know’?  Well, no.  He just forgot.  Can you really believe that?

Upon returning home, I quickly found the energy to reprise the walk.  I grabbed my all-seeing love and camera; conducted a reccie of the nesting site.

My partner is the compass to my map.  He can spot birds high in the tree tops.  And he did.  Unfortunately, as a trainee bird snapper, I’ve come to know that a clear shot of the quarry almost never occurs.  Or the quarry is so well camouflaged that the camera struggles on auto-focus.  It is clear to me that I am going to have to learn how to manual focus.  But today was not the day to learn, so I relinquished the camera to he who knows.  And voilà, one sparrowhawk.  Magnifique.

sparrow hawk

I wondered just who was spying on whom?  I started to get a complex when a drone appeared.  We speculated on what the sparrow-hawk would make of it.  But the sparrow-hawk did not reveal its whereabouts.  “Oi,” I whispered, pointing to the drone, “take a shot.”  He paused.  “Please,” I added.  And he did.

drone .jpg

More training was necessary.  Eyes in tow, we ventured further afield.  Was it a rock or something else?  Did it move?  The sound of honking provided a clue.  Ideas?

rock

The flash of white sealed its fate.  The nose knows.  Magpie geese.  Confirmed to shoot.  And he did!

Magpie Geese.jpg

Perhaps I should have left it there.  But, oh no.  More practice.  More research.  More derring-do.  But, you now what?  Nudge, nudge, wink, wink.  It is strictly need-to-know.  Suffice to say, I took lots of snaps of weed.  Have patience, dear Readers, for soon all will be revealed.  Trust me.

Kind Regards.
Tracy.

This is my response to the Ragtag Daily Prompt — Camouflage.  Click on the link to join in.

 

35 thoughts on “Camouflage Or Sabotage?”

  2. Hehe! What a fun post, Tracy! 😉 And nice shots of the birds, the sparrowhawk does look a bit concerned about all the activity around it! 😄 Never heard of magpie geese before either, they’re lovely! Have fun pointing your camera at things and learning to use manual focus!

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  8. Your photographs are delightful. Google images Baldheaded Eagles Harrison Mills BC thousands are wintering there. Also the Snow Geese from the Arctic are wintering in the Fraser Valley. Great images on Google

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      1. A tripod with a suitable person to carry and an auto release cable would be perfect for you. I can’t attach the cable to my camera but I am sure a camera expert would have a way to do it

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  12. The baldheaded eagles are mostly scavengers cleaning up carcasses of spawned salmon. The snow geese spend much of the winter in farm fields cleaning whatever turns ups. They are beneficial, loud and sometimes eat winter cover crops. But must be endured as a protected species. We also get the endangered trumpeter swans.

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    1. I imagine a drone would be fairly useful for research, Dries, but they sure do detract from the natural experience. We checked the sparrowhawks out again today. There was much activity. There were three. One must be newly fledged. I wonder if there is another chick somewhere. Poor things. The three hawks were flying around being harassed by a raven and a cockatoo.

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