Today's Visitor

In the backyard—he (or she, perhaps) is, we think, a juvenile Cooper's Hawk. I spotted him first in the weeping cherry, just outside my workroom window. He was chasing a couple of cardinals around in the cherry tree (which is why I say juvenile; he didn't appear to have a firm grasp on a way to catch them). Photography through the window proved unsatisfactory (I have really got to get on the ladder and wash the outsides of my windows this year!), so I snuck out the back door and managed to catch him in the black walnut before he flew off.

John has seen an adult working this area recently, too. Now I know why we seem to have fewer chickens than we used to—really, when you have over three or four dozen and they free-range, it's almost impossible to get a head count. I just go by the number of eggs, which has declined precipitously in the past week or two, but we've had some very, very cold weather (for us). Maybe it's not just the weather.

But isn't he beautiful? You should have seen him in flight. I should probably be upset that he (and his parental unit) have taken some chickens, but I don't seem to be able to. I always have more sympathy for the predators (raptors, wolves, bears, big cats) than I do for the prey. I wonder why that is?

Here he is high up in a dead locust—

Comments

[towanda]

Well, you know, Barbara Kingsolver makes the point that the predators are the ones to care about anyway, in her novel Prodigal Summer.

[Kai]

I am SUPER glad you saw & photographed that hawk! Remember when I told you about seeing the chicken hawk in our backyard, drinking from the birdbath (aka big old orange wok) & how I took photos but didn't have a digital camera back then so they didn't come out? Anyway, no one BELIEVED me. They said, "Hawks don't hang around where people are." I argued that they surely DO because PEOPLE raise CHICKENS, and chicken hawks EAT chickens! DUH!!!!! So I feel GLAD that you got pictures! He's a beauty, too. But I'm guessing your chickens don't agree! Hmmmmm - Heeeeerrre, kitties! There's a nice BIG morsel for you to catch! KITTIES! That reminds me - where & how are my favorite kitty-people?

[Jo-Anne]

We have hawks here too. One has been sitting in the tall spruce, surveying the deep snow. Hopefully not the kitties! There is also a red fox that has been in the neighbourhood - guess it's looking for food too, though it just seems to trot around the neighbourhood. No news of being in anyone's yard.