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Here's what I've been up to for the last few days. We have a number of hawks in the neighborhood who unfortunately feast on such things as my beloved chipmunks and squirrels. Now and again you will see giant wings swooping down and making off with a fuzzy gray or brown thing and so it goes with the circle of life-Ugh! The raptors themselves are magnificent to see though. This one has a wing span of about 3 or so feet. I think you can enlarge by clicking the pics.
These last few days he has decided to make his perch on the front porch-directly over the little cinder block where the chipmunks launch themselves across the yard and where the squirrels feed on birdseed we put out for the mourning doves. You can tell when he's around because there isn't a living thing moving in the air or on the ground. I am fascinated my his size and patience. He let me open the door and move the camera around to get out of the glare of the door glass-well almost. He was getting a little skittish so this was as far as I could go. I'm about three feet from him. That's amazing and unfortunate at the same time. I think he belongs to our neighbor who has raised a number of raptors. He used to have peregrine falcons as well. The sun will be gone from this part of the porch soon and since it's 17 degrees out this morning(hello...where's my springy temps?) I suspect he will be on his way. I keep referring to the bird as a him when it very likely could be a female searching for food for the young. It just looks like bird who could kick the crap out of another bird and thus makes it male-like in my eyes. Silly really, since I could kick the crap out of a number of people myself. I would do this while frying up some bacon and bringing home the bread...cause I'm a woman W O M A N....Oh wait...where was I? The bird, yes...anyway, my fallow quilting period seems to be lessening and after a week of not sleeping but a few hours a night, I got a full night sleep last night.
I will be back tomorrow with something new to show for WIP Wed. For now I will follow the tale of the bird a few minutes more. I'm torn between not wanting it to leave and not wanting it to leave with anything cute and furry. I stand ever vigilant in defense of the chipmunk population.....This thing is actually big enough to carry off the neighbors cat.....meow
5 comments:
Your new title: Defender of the small furry wild rodents!! Great photo! I love to watch the raptors when they fly in circles and then swoop down for the catch.
When I was growing up, I always wanted to raise hawks. I was rather fascinated by the Middle Ages, castles, that kind of thing. Okay, I was a weird kid. I think the actual feeding of the hawks would bother me, too, but they are magnificent birds.
Ok, I've always thought of Long Island as a big-city-like area. I obviously am mistaken because your photos show it as a very countryish area with trees and birds and all...
It is beautiful!
The hawk is magnificent! And the fact that you got photos that close is just amazing. But I understand your worry over the smaller animals. I wouldn't want to see anything carried off to a terrible death in those claws!
This morning as I clipped along our interstate highway, I noticed a lone hawk just resting on the side of the road. It was a wooded patch and with all the dead brown undergrowth, I don't think I would have even "seen" him if not for your pictures that I'd filed away in my subconscious. I live in a far less rural area than you, but I'm glad I still glimpse wildlife around my home (although the neighborhood foxes of a couple years ago got a little tiresome--pesky critters!).
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