The birds love their suet in winter, as it provides lots of fuel to keep them chubby and warm in the cold. Speaking of birds, the bald eagles are back from their journeys farther north and the Swainson's hawks have departed for the pampas lands of Argentina, where their favorite grasshoppers are plentiful.
It is so exciting to spot these majestic raptors, which are growing more plentiful after being nearly driven extinct by poisoning from pesticides. I never dreamed I'd live somewhere where you see bald eagles on the way to the grocery store!
Here is a photo I took earlier in the fall of a juvenile Swainson's hawk watching a prairie dog field near my house. He's long gone now, but we'll see them in the spring again.
