[Schaumburger]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

Shrandell, the OP who has posted many pictures on this forum of great beauty has gifted me with a 2014 Calendar with pictures from all over The villages. She is selling them and they would make a treasured gift for villagers or those who are trying to patiently wait.

I have one of the 2014 calendars created by shrandell. It is a work of art! The calendar keeps reminding me of the beauty of The Villages when I am here in Chicago.

[TrudyM]

Originally Posted by DonH57

Back when we were staying in our friend's house while we doing the paper trail for purchasing our house in TV I witnessed one of those hawks swoop down by the birdcage and bring up a snake to a neighboring roof. One of those times I wished I had taken a video.

We had an eagle on the edge of our property in Mercer Island Washington. In the years it nested there we had no mice, rats or any problem vermin. When lightening struck the tree and it moved on now we have all manor of critters moving back in by the stream.

[tippyclubb]

Originally Posted by shrandell

I was visiting friends out on Rt 42 and spotted this lovely bird on the neighbor's roof.

Beautiful pictures. According to my Smithsonian Field Guide Bird book it looks exactly like a Red-shouldered Hawk.

We use to have some Cooper Hawks hanging around because of the bird feeders. More than once I would see one swoop down and snatch a bird. That was my least favorite part about feeding the birds.

[tippyclubb]

Originally Posted by graciegirl

Shrandell, the OP who has posted many pictures on this forum of great beauty has gifted me with a 2014 Calendar with pictures from all over The villages. She is selling them and they would make a treasured gift for villagers or those who are trying to patiently wait.

Shrandell, I would love to have one of your calendars. Were stuck in Michigan until September and would love to look at your beautiful pictures from around TV, daily. I sent you a pm.

[Boudicca]

Thank you Tippyclubb. I replied and am thrilled with the responses to Gracie's flagrant "shout out".. Thank you all.

[Susan G]

Originally Posted by shcisamax

In the last two days, I have come out to a pile of feathers in two different spots in my back yard. A neighbor mentioned they saw a hawk sitting on my roof earlier. They seem to be eating quite well in TV.

I actually witnessed one swoop out of the sky yesterday morning, grab a dove in flight and wrestle it to the ground. Feathers were falling from above like snow. Sad, but it is survival of the fittest (and fastest) I guess.

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by Susan G

I actually witnessed one swoop out of the sky yesterday morning, grab a dove in flight and wrestle it to the ground. Feathers were falling from above like snow. Sad, but it is survival of the fittest (and fastest) I guess.

I believe you are right when you say survival of the fastest. We had a hawk on our deck in MI frequently. He wasn't even afraid of the dog. My husband had a bird feeder on the deck that attracted the hawk, but the birds would scatter into the tree next to the deck (thick with many intertwined branches), and he could not get to them. But every year we would find what looked like dove feathers in another part of the yard by a pine tree where the doves nested.

One year the condo association decided to remove certain trees that the builder had put too close to the house, and ours was one of them. No more place for the birds to scatter to, and we removed the bird feeder.