Small, Bigger, Biggest

These photos were all taken from my back yard.  That statement is true but I should probably add some clarification.  The three photos of the last subject were taken from my back yard but the subject was in my neighbors back yard; not mine.  Just wanted to be completely transparent so no one accuses me of fake blog posts.

 

Sharpshooter leafhopper.

 

Eastern tiger swallowtail.

 

For some reason this butterfly was kind of antsy; rapidly flapping its wings when I’d get close even though it wasn’t taking off.  Maybe trying to scare me away.  Well, I’m serious about getting my insect photos and it’ll take more than a  butterfly flapping its wings to scare me off.

 

 

 

At first I thought this was a Cooper’s hawk but then decided it was a sharp-shinned hawk.  Now I’m back to believing it is a Cooper’s hawk.  The reason I’m going with Cooper’s vs. sharp-shinned is because this hawk has a rounded tail with a prominent white band at the bottom and was in a suburban area with primarily oak trees and sweet gums.  Sharp-shinned hawks are found primarily in conifers and heavily wooded areas.  Still I could be wrong.  I’ve learned these two species are notorious for being difficult to distinguish their difference and I only have a back view of the bird.

Hey Coop, be sure to look both ways before taking off.

 

 

Okay, it’s clear, you can take off now.

 

Thank you for stopping by.

David

All photos taken with a Nikon D7100 and a Nikkor 80-400mm lens.