Chapter 21

Close Encounter

Jay had a close encounter with one of the little hawks today. As he was walking toward our front door, the little hawk apparently mistook him for Rufous, and flew straight toward him. The hawk got about ten feet from Jay when he figured out he had made a big mistake and did a fast U-turn, scrambling into a magnolia tree in our front yard.

By the time Jay fished out his smart phone for a photo, the hawk had retreated to the familiar safety of the cypress tree. But Jay still got a couple of pretty good pics.

Jay took these photos using his smart phone!

The young hawks spend a lot of time in the cypress tree, where the branches are relatively small and at right angles to the tree trunk. The foliage provides cover for them and they can still see out. They move around a lot, appearing to play games: King of the Hill, Chase the Squirrel, Hide and Seek, you name it!

About 7:30 this evening, Jay and I walked about watching for the little hawks. We had no trouble finding them! They were in the trees across the street whistling eee-eww eee-eww. Occasionally one would fly back across to nest tree and then back, or out to the dead willow branch in the greenbelt.

Soon we figured out what was going on. It was dinnertime! One of the adult hawks flew to the nest with dinner in talons, and all four little hawks were screaming and flapping and pushing and shoving. Someone – or maybe it was two – mantled over the nest, and two others perched nearby, waiting for their turn. The nest still serves a purpose – it is a dinner plate.

Continue to Chapter 22: They're Everywhere!

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