A Teenage Hawk
No, I'm not talking politics today. I'm talking wildlife. Everyday, I've been listening to the sound of what I call a teenage hawk in a tree across the street, and it reminded me of what happened last summer.
First of all we noticed a hawk in a nearby tree every single morning, without fail. We figured there must be a nest nearby, but never confirmed that. At first I thought it was someone's pet bird, because it wasn't acting like a wild bird, and I didn't have my glasses on. I was calling it down to land on my finger! Our son Austin, who was visiting at the time, got out the binoculars, and said, "Mom, you've been calling a predator to land on your finger! It's a hawk." Whoops. Glad he didn't take me up on it.
One evening, Austin was dozing on the couch when he heard a big crash at one of the back windows. He jumped up just in time to see the big hawk stumbling and then flying off. He or she had left a big greasy print on our window -- the bird had tried to fly through the window and had banked sideways so that his wingspan would fit in what he thought was an open space. The imprint on the window was so
detailed -- feathers and beak and everything -- I couldn't bear to wash it off for several weeks. Depending on the time of day, it looked kind of like a ghost bird coming through the window. I've posted two pictures here for you to see. 
A few weeks later, I heard this constant bird call outside, one I had never heard before. Listen:
tonyhawk.mp3
It went all day long. I found a young hawk sitting in a tree in our back yard. I believe he was a teenage hawk, because he could fly, and could probably hunt, but he sat there most of the day, crying "feed me! feed me!". Every so often, a large hawk would land on the branch beside him and feed him, and he would make strange noises while he was eating. Two large hawks patrolled overhead at different times during the day.
Now we are watching two teenage hawks across the street, testing their wings now and then, but mostly crying for food all day. I can recognize a hawk from a mile away now. They are fascinating. I hope they like it here and come back to have their babies every season.
First of all we noticed a hawk in a nearby tree every single morning, without fail. We figured there must be a nest nearby, but never confirmed that. At first I thought it was someone's pet bird, because it wasn't acting like a wild bird, and I didn't have my glasses on. I was calling it down to land on my finger! Our son Austin, who was visiting at the time, got out the binoculars, and said, "Mom, you've been calling a predator to land on your finger! It's a hawk." Whoops. Glad he didn't take me up on it.
One evening, Austin was dozing on the couch when he heard a big crash at one of the back windows. He jumped up just in time to see the big hawk stumbling and then flying off. He or she had left a big greasy print on our window -- the bird had tried to fly through the window and had banked sideways so that his wingspan would fit in what he thought was an open space. The imprint on the window was so
detailed -- feathers and beak and everything -- I couldn't bear to wash it off for several weeks. Depending on the time of day, it looked kind of like a ghost bird coming through the window. I've posted two pictures here for you to see. 
A few weeks later, I heard this constant bird call outside, one I had never heard before. Listen:
tonyhawk.mp3
It went all day long. I found a young hawk sitting in a tree in our back yard. I believe he was a teenage hawk, because he could fly, and could probably hunt, but he sat there most of the day, crying "feed me! feed me!". Every so often, a large hawk would land on the branch beside him and feed him, and he would make strange noises while he was eating. Two large hawks patrolled overhead at different times during the day.
Now we are watching two teenage hawks across the street, testing their wings now and then, but mostly crying for food all day. I can recognize a hawk from a mile away now. They are fascinating. I hope they like it here and come back to have their babies every season.
posted by Debi | 12:01 AM
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