Had to take time off to do house fixes and prepare for a re-fi but finally got out the last 4 days for some shots. After cleaning the mirror box and a bunch of spots on the af mirror I am happy to report the focus locks more often.
Nesting season isn't here yet, so wasn't much to shoot. The Hawk was the best find, and 2 other photographers, using another brand of gear complained about how horrible the lighting was on this Hawk and muddled to one another wether they should bother taking the shot. Personally, knowing what my camera and lens can do i of course took the shot, and I am not unhappy with the results. Very shaded area, bright background, but with a little PP a decent one to take home.
Am posting in troubleshooting about a weirdness with this lens af cycling if anyone has a bead on this lens more so than I.

[Adam]

Well, this series sure turned out perfect. Very nice detail!