I always look out my upstairs window in back of the house, the other day I saw a movement in the neighbor's yard but it was behind some shrubs and fence etc, but a red-tailed hawk was chowing down on something, probably one of my neighbor's pigeons. Mid-morning, clear and cold, residential area, like he owned the joint.Then he rested up in the elm for a half-hour.

Along with the usual gang of Canadian geese, a huge flock of brants has taken up along the bayfront near me. Noisier even than the geese and twice as messy on the walking paths at the waterfront park.

Last year they seemed to stay in the water. But now they cover the playing fields and paths too. We have to avoid stretches of the path that are too fouled to walk on