My "Spirit Animal"

  Just about daybreak, I heard the telltale scream of a red-tailed hawk just outside the back door.  That was enough for me to brave the chill and head out to find my friend.  This bird has been hanging about the Bayou for the past few months and has become quite familiar with me.  At times, the bird will even follow me about the yard as I do chores.  I am good with it as I have always held a fondness for hawks and this one is a beauty!  This morning, however, I could not find my friend.  I heard its screams but was at a loss as to where it was.  As I headed past the compost pile, the bird screamed again letting me know that it was in an oak tree behind the canebrake.  Ok...lets slip down that way. Rounding the canebrake, I heard the soft whirring of wings as the bird headed toward the Bay.  Oh, shoot!  Now I had to make my way through the garden and down the hillside.  Not that this is hard but I was barefoot and the temperature was in the 40s!  From the top of a pine tree, the bird screamed and headed back toward me.  I stopped.  The bird flew to the top of an oak nearby.  Ok...my feet were freezing!  Time to head back in and get my shoes.  

  Well once inside, I realized that the old dog needed to go out.  With camera slung on my shoulder, I hoisted the dog and headed out the front door.  My hawk had better be hanging around because it was going to take a few more moments before I could get back to it!  While Mr. PJ was doing his business, I, again, heard the whirring of wings and realized that the hawk had come to the tree behind me.  Oh, sweet!  After a few quick photographs, the session was over.  The old dog had to be toted back inside.  I bid my bird friend farewell for the time being.

  There are some legends that say red-tailed hawks are protectors of the world and that those who can befriend them (in any form) share their duties.  These folks also share the intuitiveness, the braveness and the fairness that the hawk represents.  I am not sure about all of that but I do feel that I have obtained a certain connection with this hawk. There is a mutual sense of respect between the two of us.  My "spirit animal" is a red-tailed hawk!  (Odd thing is...several years ago, one of those social media "tests" proclaimed that very same bird as my spirit animal.  According to that test, we both shared a keen insight into all that is around us.)  Sounds good to me.

Movie Birds!

  Never count on Hollywood to give truthful accounts of anything!  No, this is not a political rant, I do not do those.  This is a critter rant, for whatever it is worth.  Probably not much.  For the longest time, I thought eagles made the high-pitched scream that we all heard on the old western movies.  Let a cowboy be lost in the desert with an eagle off in the distance and you would always hear a distinctive screech.  Yep...that was an eagle!  Nope...that might have been an eagle filmed but that was not an eagle screaming.  As a kid, I never thought much about it.  To me, an eagle could very well be screaming its head off at that cowboy....I was more interested in the horse!  I was all about horses and never followed a plot of any movie but, instead, focused solely on the horse!  I fretted over the horse stumbling about with no water but never worried that the cowboy was being circled by vultures or screamed at by eagles.

  Now as an adult living on the Bayou and watching every critter that calls the place home, I can distinguish an eagle call with the best.  To me, the eagles sound a lot like an old rusty wheel.  I have yet to hear one scream.  Maybe they do but not to my knowledge.  That screaming is done by a hawk.  Almost every raptor that appears in the movies has a voice over by a red-tailed hawk.  This bird has that signature scream down pat!  It is a red-tailed hawk scream that is famous!  After all these years of believing otherwise, I feel sort of cheated!  Not really.  Maybe the hawk should feel cheated.

  Recently, there have been more red-tailed hawks flying about the Bayou.  These birds are huge!   They hunt by soaring high above the ground and can spot a mouse at about 100 feet.  Their dive is graceful with feet extended and they rarely miss their mark.  The hawks will take anything they can overpower and have been known to pick up unattended pets occasionally.   Back on the farm, it was quite common to lose a fat hen or baby pig to a red-tailed hawk.  

  Even with their reputation of being ruthless hunters, it was nice to see three hawks soaring overhead a few days ago.  Hearing them scream brought a smile as I thought of how Hollywood misled us all by using a hawk instead of an eagle.  Deceptive!  Hollywood...how dare you!!! Now, about that horse.  Did it make it through the desert?  

Flying High!!

  Yesterday, Mark and I watched as a large bird flew overhead.  This bird was huge!  Ok, so as you probably already guessed, the camera was ever ready.  Our bird made a huge circle and then swooped low, low above us.  The only thought going through my head was the sheer magnificence of the sight before me.  Wow!  What beauty!

  The bird was a Red-tailed Hawk and was one of a pair that was circling overhead and then moved to over the Bayou.  This pair was on the hunt.  Watching them, started me thinking about hawks and other raptors.  Red-tailed Hawks have exceptional eyesight and can spy a tiny, field mouse from about 100 feet above ground.  They can swoop down, catch the mouse and be out of there in the blink of an eye.  Like all other raptors, even though they have excellent vision, they cannot move their eyes.  Raptors have to move their heads from side to side if they wish to see something other than what is in their immediate line of vision.  This is most obvious in owls who can turn their heads a full 270 degrees.  It makes me ponder if turning the head actually helps to focus???

  The Red-tailed hawk pair circled the Bayou and hillside for most of the afternoon. They were riding on the stiff south winds while hunting for their supper.  Hopefully, this pair will nest on the property and help with thinning the massive Grey Squirrel population that has been dumped in our laps by the clearing of nearby property.  

Flying Monkeys and Redtail Hawks!

  I am always on the lookout for new friends....especially new critter friends.  The Bayou is great about having an endless supply of these critters, some familiar, some unknown.  The marshes, woods, waters and treetops are all homes for the animals.  This afternoon, my cousin and I were able to find many new friends but one in particular stood out as pretty spectacular.  

  It was late afternoon when we heard a loud screeching coming from the treetops beyond the Bayou.  From the west we could see a pair of very large birds fly above the pines.  It was not long before one of the pair decided to alight in one of the tall pines near the pier.  Aha!  A hawk was settling in for a bit and I was able to get a couple of photographs.  I tentatively identified the bird as a Red-tailed Hawk (mainly by the call as I could not see him well).  We watched the bird for some time as he watched us.  

  Later when I looked at the photographs, I noticed something a tad strange.  In the first picture, my hawk appeared to have a "monkey" face!  Wow!  My sweet cousin made the remark that it reminded her of the "flying monkeys" from the movie, "The Wizard of Oz".  Well, I promise that we do not have monkeys...flying or otherwise here on the Bayou!  

  I was a bit relieved to see that the oddity was nothing but a weird camera angle.  The rest of the photographs were fine.  The hawk seemed like an ordinary bird with an ordinary hawk face. I do have to admit that, though disconcerting at first glance, it may have been a bit interesting to have a flying monkey on the Bayou!

And then there was one...

For the second time this week, I have had a most interesting, yet disturbing, view as I sat at the kitchen table.  Both times, I had just poured my first cup of coffee.  The sun was just starting to filter a bit of light into the garden area outside the kitchen window making for a pleasant view.  I watched as the hummingbirds darted in and out of the Turk's Cap and the juvenile squirrels chased each other about in the oak tree.  The first day, I saw three rabbits..this morning, there were only two.  One was right in the gravel pathway that leads to the little Frog Pond.  This bunny was munching on the the spent daylilies leaves and was oblivious to anything but a tasty meal.  The other rabbit was in the peach orchard.  I could see this one quite clearly even though it was a good distance away from the kitchen.  That was one huge rabbit!

As I sat there staring out the window, a large Redtailed Hawk swooped down and snatched up the smaller bunny!  This had happened just three days earlier in almost the same spot!  The hawk struggled with the rabbit and dropped it.  The rabbit jumped up and tried to make a run for it but it was a futile effort.  Its escape was thwarted by the hawk as it swooped once again and this time those talons did not lose their grip.  My poor bunny!  I started to rush outside to see if I could help but it all occurred in just a matter of seconds and, well, these old legs do not run anywhere fast!  Watching this unfold just a few feet in front of the open window was pretty amazing.  If I did not like the hawk so much, I would have been traumatized!  This is the same hawk that follows me about the yard occasionally.  It will find some sturdy fence post and eye me up as I pull weeds or water the plants.

The other (larger) rabbit froze when it saw what was happening to the other bunny.  Two of its friends had been abruptly snatched as they ate.  Perhaps the larger rabbit was smarter.  Since it was inside the fence surrounding the peach orchard and down under those heavily leaved trees, maybe the hawk had second thoughts about attacking it.  More likely, the smaller rabbit looked to be an easier prey to carry.  If the larger rabbit was depending on that fence wire for protection, it is out of luck now.  Michael removed the fence today as the posts were all rotting.  The rabbit will now have to be a bit more wary!  Three rabbits in the morning sun..along came the hawk and now there is one.  Bye Bye Bunny.

Friends in High Places!

I had a visitor!  Yesterday morning, I was on the pier as usual.  I fished for a bit then headed back up toward the Little Bayou House.  As I neared the end of the pier, a large bird swooped down right in front of me!  At first, this startled me..not that I feared the bird but just the fact that something flew so close to me without warning.  The bird landed in a pine tree just about fifty feet in front of me.  A hawk!  There sat the most beautiful hawk!  It turned its head to watch my every move.  After a few pictures with an ornery camera (for some reason my lens kept clouding), I decided to leave the bird be and try to fix the contrary piece of equipment!

I walked up the board path while tinkering with the lens.  The bird followed!  I was a tad confused at its antics but at the same time secretly thrilled to know that it was not frightened by my presence.   As I headed into the Rose Garden where my comfy chairs are, the hawk continued to follow!  What is with this bird???  I wondered if it was in distress and was seeking aid.  Perhaps it knew that I would be happy to help it if necessary.  Just outside of the Rose Garden fence, there stands a dying Black Gum Tree.  I do not have the heart to cut it down since it houses a good many critters.  Today, this tree served as a perch for the hawk.  It sat staring down at me from its perch about twenty feet away.  Again, I was thrilled!

Tinkering with the camera and cleaning the lens seemed to do the trick.  With the bird now so close to me, I had to remove the zoom lens.  I was amazed that no matter how much I moved around the Rose Garden, the hawk never flinched..never acted skittish in the least.  I decided to see if it would follow me further around the yard.  My walk took me to the back side of the house.  Here were a number of citrus trees that would make maneuvering a bit difficult for the hawk.  The overhanging limbs were loaded with fruit and in places there was just a narrow pathway.  To my surprise (and delight!), the hawk followed.  Swooping in and out of the trees like a pro!  When I neared the canebrake, a number of Blue Jays noticed the hawk and let up a rousing round of squawks.  This called all of the other birds in the general area and soon there was such an uproar in the backyard that the hawk, after one last circle around me, flew off into the wooded area by the creek.  Wow!  What an experience!  Perhaps a once in a lifetime event!

Then come this morning..I was out preparing for the upcoming hurricane when I heard the whoosh of something above my head!  Oh, my goodness!  The hawk was back!  Again, it acted as if it was my friend!  It stayed close by as I gathered up the windchimes and hummingbird feeders.  Several times it sort of cocked its head and, for lack of a better word..chortled at me!  I began to wonder if it was hungry.  Being as this seems to be an immature Red-tailed Hawk, maybe it has not mastered the art of catching prey..surely it has..surely!  Anyway, the bird stayed near until once again, the Blue Jays started their raucous attack.  Go away, Blue Jays!  I want this bird as my friend!  Hope to see you tomorrow, Friend Hawk!

A Surefire Weight-loss Plan!

Earlier today as I was doing a bit of the old dreaded housework, I could hear such a ruckus going on outside in the yard. Since my baby Mockingbirds were perched on the Jasmine arbor, I was a bit concerned for their safety and hurried out as any good mother would! The little tots were crouched down low among the vines..hiding if you may..in hopes that whatever evil had all the adult birds riled, would not see them. I marveled at my babies! They were doing so well adapting to the "real" world..they could fly to the treetops, scratch for bugs in the mulch and obviously knew to take cover when older birds sounded the alarm. (Now if I could only teach them that the water bowl is there for them!) Then the caterwauling grew worse and I was brought back to the reason that I stepped outside. It seemed to be coming from down near the Bayou edge. Grabbing the camera, I traipsed down the hill. I could see swarms of different birds heading to one particular pine tree. Well, something was in that tree..something that obviously the birds did not want in that tree. I slipped closer and peered at the treetop. Finally, my eyes focused on the culprit! There on a lower limb of the pine was a large bird..a hawk! The raptor still had its dinner clutched in its talons as it was being pummeled by an assortment of smaller birds. There were Blue Jays, Red-winged Blackbirds, Thrashers, Cardinals and even the tiny Titmice. They were all scolding the large Red-tailed Hawk as it said ripping at its prey. They were flying at the larger bird and even ramming it head-on. The poor Red-tail could not even eat its rabbit in peace. I took one picture and before I could snap another..it was gone. It had flown toward the pier! I hurried after it but as soon as I had it in view again..the poor bird was rousted from this roost as well. (If you look closely in the upper right hand corner of the picture, you can see one of the Blackbirds that was badgering the Hawk.)This time the beleaguered bird dropped its dinner into the marsh. Its dinner gone, the bird flew to westward into the sunset. I guess this is one way to lose weight! The smaller birds soon settled back at the feeders as if nothing had ever interrupted their mealtime. The two small Mockingbirds flew to my shoulder and wanted back inside the house. This was a mite scary for two little ones and they wanted the safety of "Mom" and their cage! Perhaps just one more night, then they will be ready to be on their own..maybe two more....

The Red-tailed Hawk is a gorgeous bird. He is quite large and very majestic in appearance rivaling the Eagle in beauty. It is one of the hawks called a "Chicken Hawk" but this is a misnomer since it rarely preys on chickens. They would much rather catch rodents or birds. Squirrels seem to be prey of choice but birds, rabbits, mice, rats and even reptiles and fish are on its menu. Today's entree was obviously rabbit but the bird only got to devour a few bites before its dinner was rudely interrupted! I am not sure why but I rather admire this bird and hope it stays around the Bayou for a while.