During late February this year, we have had uncharacteristically warm temperatures and low precipitation, the latter suggesting the gravel/dirt roads between our favorite crawfish ponds might be in good condition. This encouraged us to visit the ponds to see what birds might be there.

As usual, my wife drove my pickup truck while I sat in the back seat. That way, I could move freely between the rear windows of the truck and aim my camera at the ponds on either side of the road. Of course, as the truck approached each pond, most birds swam away from us toward the back half of the pond. Others simply took flight.

We were glad to see that several Northern Shovelers stayed in the ponds instead of flying away like those above.

Standing between the roads and the ponds are levees upon which bushes and tall grasses grow. These provide landing sites for other birds, often making them better subjects in that they are nearer the camera than the waterfowl are.

Of course, we also saw the "usual suspects" in the crawfish ponds that day.

On this day we observed two birds we had never before noticed at the ponds. A high powerline runs along one stretch of road. As we drove that road, we noticed two raptors perched on the powerline above us, a small American Kestrel and a large Red-tailed Hawk. They seemed to be looking for prey, either on the road or in the ponds.

Because each bird was above and well in front of the truck, I exited the truck and used the open door as a blind while photographing the bird through the door's open window. Occasionally, my wife slowly pulled the truck closer to the bird while I walked behind the open door, then took more photos when she stopped. Ultimately, of course, after two or three such approaches, the bird flew away.  

We followed the hawk until it perched on a second pole, but it was unfortunately facing away from the camera. However, I managed to get a few shots of its escape when we scared it away.