Meet the neighbors: red-shouldered hawks

Let's assume they're a mating pair, why not?

I stepped out into my backyard on a 10° day, fiddled with things for a few minutes, and noticed this majestic beast basking in the sun at about eye level to me. Yes, he found me.

I think it was so cold it didn’t mind as I went inside to grab my tripod, and slowly inched closer and closer in a zig-zag path to get photos and this video. I think it was my cunning approach that allowed me to snag these snaps.

There are a typically a pair of these milling about the yard on any given morning.

I was just surprised to see him so close.