We had a Cooper's Hawk land in a neighbor's tree a couple years ago. It was a beautiful bird but the bird it was defeathering had lost its aesthetic appeal by the time that we spotted it. We were caught somewhere between marveling and sadness, but one notch closer to the reality that is nature.
Alert as an Angel, I just love that! Watchful and patient, pure presence. If I was a bird, I’d be a Sharpie. One strafed me, quite gently, on one of my last days living on the mountain. Either saying goodbye, or thanking me for filling the feeders all those years....
Ohhhh, the drama. I read with baited breath. And, applauded the outcome. And, I applaud your beautiful homily for respect and inclusion. Happy New Year, dear Diane! By the way, your photography is simply stunning. What amazing "captures"!
Lovely photos, Diane. I keep my fingers crossed for many things and some of those many things are the chickadees that grace my feeders and enhance my existence.
I share your sentiments completely. I hate to see my favorite birds taken but I have a biologist friend who reminds me that the hawks have to eat, too! Many times I look out my windows and see that the visible birds are playing "freeze tag" and I know there must be a hawk nearby even when I can't spot one. I always wish they would take one of my abundant mourning doves so as to have a BIG meal and possibly spare my smaller birds but this is not always the case. Thank you for your gorgeous photos!
Absolutely beautiful ... the words and the images. You had me on the edge of my seat, holding my breath to see what would happen. A well-told tale, Diane, with deep thought behind it. I'm sharing....
My first experience with this formidable hawk wasn’t a pleasant one. We are surrounded by trees. One time I noticed all the birds suddenly flew off. Unfortunately 2 female cardinals hit our windows. One survived and I felt the need to pick her up gently with a towel and put her in a box to rest just inside our sunroom. After a time, she started looking around and didn’t seem to be injured. I picked her up with the towel and she just looked at me and seemed content. I stepped outside and she seemed uninterested in taking off but occasionally looked at me. I encouraged her to fly and she did to a close by branch and started grooming her feathers. Out of the blue the sharp shinned hawk dove down and plucked her off the branch much to my despair!! Heart breaking introduction as to why the birds suddenly took off…
Thank you for sharing the beautiful description of your sharpie, Diane. Last week I was in the right place at the right time to watch a sharpie zoom through our yard’s feeders into the branches of the nearby lone oak tree that we call the staging tree. It didn’t just land in those branches but did two complete tight figure eights, an impressive skill and sight to see only 10-12 feet away. I didn’t see any birds in that tree, but I’m not a sharp-shinned hawk. We lost one of our 7 downies that morning, but ... our beautiful hawk will live to hunt another day. Those tight figure eights, clearly showing the sharpie’s squared off tail, along with the madly fluttering wings of the downy being carried off, will be burned into my memory as a bittersweet moment but also as a privileged moment to have witnessed on our farm.
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As usual the story was lovely!! But the photos outstanding!! I really enjoyed the whole thing!!!
We had a Cooper's Hawk land in a neighbor's tree a couple years ago. It was a beautiful bird but the bird it was defeathering had lost its aesthetic appeal by the time that we spotted it. We were caught somewhere between marveling and sadness, but one notch closer to the reality that is nature.
Please send Sharpies over here - we have gangs of marauding sparrows...
Alert as an Angel, I just love that! Watchful and patient, pure presence. If I was a bird, I’d be a Sharpie. One strafed me, quite gently, on one of my last days living on the mountain. Either saying goodbye, or thanking me for filling the feeders all those years....
Ohhhh, the drama. I read with baited breath. And, applauded the outcome. And, I applaud your beautiful homily for respect and inclusion. Happy New Year, dear Diane! By the way, your photography is simply stunning. What amazing "captures"!
Lovely photos, Diane. I keep my fingers crossed for many things and some of those many things are the chickadees that grace my feeders and enhance my existence.
Fantastic photos! Especially of the titmice!
Gorgeous photos of all the birds in your delightful story!
I too hope for the hawks to catch the house sparrows in my yard, not the interesting an enjoyable song birds! Thanks Diane!
I share your sentiments completely. I hate to see my favorite birds taken but I have a biologist friend who reminds me that the hawks have to eat, too! Many times I look out my windows and see that the visible birds are playing "freeze tag" and I know there must be a hawk nearby even when I can't spot one. I always wish they would take one of my abundant mourning doves so as to have a BIG meal and possibly spare my smaller birds but this is not always the case. Thank you for your gorgeous photos!
Jady
Absolutely beautiful ... the words and the images. You had me on the edge of my seat, holding my breath to see what would happen. A well-told tale, Diane, with deep thought behind it. I'm sharing....
Wow you captured the everyday drama of life in nature.
I'm on the sharpie's side though i wish as you do -- please please take a house sparrow!
Maybe they don't like house sparrows because they're not a native specie!
Thanks for the pictures and the riveting soap opera!
My first experience with this formidable hawk wasn’t a pleasant one. We are surrounded by trees. One time I noticed all the birds suddenly flew off. Unfortunately 2 female cardinals hit our windows. One survived and I felt the need to pick her up gently with a towel and put her in a box to rest just inside our sunroom. After a time, she started looking around and didn’t seem to be injured. I picked her up with the towel and she just looked at me and seemed content. I stepped outside and she seemed uninterested in taking off but occasionally looked at me. I encouraged her to fly and she did to a close by branch and started grooming her feathers. Out of the blue the sharp shinned hawk dove down and plucked her off the branch much to my despair!! Heart breaking introduction as to why the birds suddenly took off…
What a wonderful rendition of what was happening there in your yard. I was on the edge of my seat!
Thank you for sharing the beautiful description of your sharpie, Diane. Last week I was in the right place at the right time to watch a sharpie zoom through our yard’s feeders into the branches of the nearby lone oak tree that we call the staging tree. It didn’t just land in those branches but did two complete tight figure eights, an impressive skill and sight to see only 10-12 feet away. I didn’t see any birds in that tree, but I’m not a sharp-shinned hawk. We lost one of our 7 downies that morning, but ... our beautiful hawk will live to hunt another day. Those tight figure eights, clearly showing the sharpie’s squared off tail, along with the madly fluttering wings of the downy being carried off, will be burned into my memory as a bittersweet moment but also as a privileged moment to have witnessed on our farm.
You tell the story so well. Absolutely love your pictures! All of them!
Please forgive me -- I do enjoy your posts, but I have to reduce the number of emails I get and I don't see an "unsubscribe" button to click. Please unsubscribe me from My Gaia.