I looked up from my desk and saw a small hawk glide by and land on the light post. I watched him for a few seconds and debated whether I had time to get the binoculars. But it seemed to be settled so I thought I'd see if I could get my camera out and change lenses quick enough to catch him. Amazingly, it stayed put, even while I came out in the yard below it. The light was fading, but cameras and software can do a lot these days.
The iNaturalist Seek app only identified it as an Accipiter, either a Cooper's or a Sharp-shinned Hawk. Usually with a reasonably clear photo it's not hard to identify birds. But these two species are very similar, at least to a non-expert. I posted it on iNaturalist and it was soon id'ed as a Cooper's Hawk.
The last few mornings, when I looked out the kitchen window I could see a spider and web highlighted by the morning sun against the shaded bushes. I decided I'd better get a photo. Looking through the macro lens, all I could see was a blur. I'd triggered their defense mechanism of vibrating rapidly on their web, making it hard for a predator to see them. It soon settled down. I had to go and get my little led panel to even up the lighting between the bright sun on one side of it, and the dark shadow on the other side.
It looks like the large Cross Orbweavers we see in the fall, except this one was small, less than 1/4 inch. I posted it on iNaturalist as well, but there aren't as many spider experts as there are bird experts and so far no one has suggested an id.
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