Reader photo: A summer meal, almost

Spokane is a city built in the trees, and over time all manner of birds and animals take up residence in our trees and bushes. This summer, we’ve been viewing a pair of Cooper’s hawks nesting and hunting in our neighborhood. This day we were on our deck when this Cooper’s hawk dropped out of an ancient oak tree onto a bird feeding station, scattering the small sparrows.

Having failed to capture a sparrow, he turned to hunting mice in our wood pile. He remained in our garden hunting for almost 10 minutes, allowing me ample time to photograph his efforts. Cooper’s hawks are beautiful predatory birds and provide many opportunities to capture great images.

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