Backyard Hawks, Nuthatches, and More, in the Time of COVID

Like a lot of people during COVID, we've put up bird feeders in our backyard to make staying at home a little more fun.  We were really surprised to see several types of birds we'd never noticed before.  It's been fun, and we're thinking of getting more into it.  So far, I've spent less than an hour total out there with my camera with the big lens and tripod .  

This first one is one of our favorite discoveries, the nuthatch.  We get two of these at a time sometimes.  They're smaller than a sparrow, and have to jockey for position to get any food.  The sparrows try to crowd them out.  They're pretty brave.  Sometimes, they'll come to the feeder even when we're sitting right next to it having lunch out on our patio.  

Just your everyday cardinal.  We get a lot of cardinals, both male and female.  It seems to me that cardinals are not as red all over as they used to be when I was a kid.  Or maybe it's just the ones that come to our feeders.   

A sparrow comes in for a landing.  I can't remember if the cardinal chased him away or not. 

After being around these birds long enough, not only do you start recognizing the sounds some of them make, but you even start to notice how they make different sounds when they're angry or distressed. 

More birds in motion.  I'll have to start trying more airborne shots.  Sparrows often crowd onto the feeder four or five at a time, with others attempting to land right on top of them.  They often get in pecking matches, even when there's enough room for all of them.  Silly birds!  

This is a Carolina Wren.  He landed on one of our patio table chairs.  This one is not quite sharp - I grabbed the camera hand-held for this one.  These birds have only shown up a few times, so I was anxious to get any photo at all of him.  

This hawk landed on the broken branch high up in the tree next door last week, while we were out on the patio eating lunch.  This is really rare.  I'm a huge fan of birds of prey, so I'm always on the lookout for them.  I've seen them every few months, but they rarely land anywhere that I can see them well, or stay there long enough for me to get the camera.  This guy lingered for quite a while, and spread out his tail.  

I wondered whether he may have been attracted to our vicinity by all the little birds feeding on our feeders.  

I think it's a broad-winged hawk, but I wouldn't mind hearing from experts out there who might be more sure.  My whole life, I've mostly seen red-tailed hawks, but this one didn't have any reddish tint at all.  

Another great bird I haven't managed to get a photo of yet is the chickadee.  We've seen them plenty of times at the feeders, but never when I've had the camera ready.