You can tell from the Latin name (Buteo jamaicensis) that the Red-tailed Hawk has a large breeding range. They range from northern Canada and the interior of Alaska to Panama and the West Indies (Jamaica).
We had a long and close look at one on a light standard in Humber Bay West on this foggy, wet morning.
The Latin name of a Northern Mockingbird is Mimus polyglottos which means “many-tongued mimic.” The bird that we saw this morning quietly imitated many other species while we listened. Some can imitate upward of 200 species. The Mockingbird was originally a southern species which has done a major northward spread since about 1900.
Other birds:
Today’s group:
NATURE POETRY
Thy shadow, Earth, from Pole to Central Sea,
Now steals along upon the Moon’s meek shine
In even monochrome and curving line
Of imperturbable serenity. – Thomas Hardy (1840–1928)
Miles Hearn