[EBB Sightings] corvids, a coop and a hummer

Recently, I have been hiking Huckleberry Preserve in the Oakland Hills
with a sense of trepidation. After finding evidence of two dead
Steller's jays there a few weeks back, I became convinced that West Nile
Virus was afoot (or should I say, awing). The portentously reduced
numbers of jays that I was observing seemed to lend credence to my
theory, and the plaintive calls of a lone jay here and there lent the
theory poignancy. Therefore, I was heartened to hear four individual
Stellers calling at the same time yesterday. The cause for their vocal
concern was soon apparent. In flew a Coopers hawk (not a Sharpie, like
those mis-identified Huck fledges that I noted here recently; hey,
accipiters can be a bitch to ID); it perched quite close-by, affording
me a good view of its well-rounded tail. It didn't seem all that
bothered by me, but I think that I was just the lesser of two evils.
After a few minutes, it flew to the edge of the Bay copse, and then
hurried on, sans squawking chorus. 

At another point along the trail, a fledgling Selasphorus hummer flashed
by; I sensed more than saw the flash of rufous, since it was directly in
the sun (Ow, my retinas!). It, too, perched very close by, visibly
smaller than an Anna's, acting quite tame, and sticking its little
tongue out. Awwww.

Gotta love birding,
Debbie Viess