I took Fay out in the front yard today at around 10:30 for her mid-morning squeezing. While I was standing around looking at the weeds in the garden that I really ought to do something about it came to my attention that the birds were freaking out. I had just read that chickadees make rapid chipping sounds when there's a predator in the area so I started looking up into the tops of all the tall trees. I couldn't see anything so I thought maybe I was imagining things and returned to idly peering around the yard. After a bit my glance fell on the apple tree. There was a hawk sitting right there (where the red arrow is pointing) maybe thirty feet away from me, twenty from Fay.
Don't go looking for it in this photo - I didn't have my camera on me at the time.
Not your typical hawk vantage point. I would never have looked for it there. But there it was, looking right at me all nonchalant, like "What? I'm just seeing how the apples are coming along. I always relax here."
I try to be careful when I take Fay out in VT, especially at night. There are things here that could eat her with no problem: big owls, coyotes, fishers. I doubt a bear would eat her but I still wouldn't want her to meet one. I'm pretty sure this hawk was smaller than Fay. None the less, I went ahead and squeezed her. When I looked up again the hawk had moved on.
I've been enjoying this volunteer foxglove that sprang up in the garden. It has some fair competition from the mint but I'm hoping it will go to seed and start a colony. I can hope.
I think it's elegant and etherial and that it goes well with the bird bath.
2 comments:
Hawks are totally cool until they start trying to eat your dog! :p
I like how you put the bit about not bothering to look for the hawk in the photo *after* the photo. I scrutinized it for about a minute before carrying on with the rest of the post. Hah!
Go foxglove! Go foxglove!
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