You Can't See If You Don't Look

 

I'm glad I didn't take my camera to the park yesterday.

First we saw two hawks on the ground. That is odd enough on its own, but they stayed there as we approached. When they finally flew, we decided it must be a mother teaching its fledgling to hunt. A few minutes later we saw that there were three hawks. Together. The only explanation is parent with young.

The neighborhood has watched a hawk nest all summer. It is a platform high on top of a dead fir. Watching them fly around the playground equipment is something different. At one point we thought there might be four of them, but it is more likely that one circled around and got counted twice.

There weren't many small birds around, but there were a few. The surprise of the evening was a Bullocks oriel. It was a yellow female with just a touch of blush color on its head. It blended in so well with the yellowing folliage of the tree that I wouldn't have noticed it if I wasn't watching the hawks.

And I wouldn't have been watching the hawks if I had a camera with me. I would have been moving around trying to get a good picture, which I couldn't have anyway. So I'm glad I didn't take my camera.

Nancy Sherer

 

 


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