Nature, red in tooth and claw
by HML
We’ve seen sharp-shinned hawks around the city in the past, but our first up-close encounter occurred a few weeks ago, when I opened the front door and was startled to see one perched in the camellia shrub just a few feet away. The behavior of this little raptor (at 9-13″, just smaller than a crow) is described in Birds of the Puget Sound Region as follows:
Feeds almost exclusively on birds, often near bird feeders. Bursts forth from hidden perch to surprise prey in low, rapid flight.
Who says field guides can’t be thrilling reading?
Those of us who watch nature shows have a pretty good idea what’s coming next, but for everybody else, cue ominous music …
This morning I saw the hawk standing in the front yard. Hmm; odd to see it out in the open like that … A closer look revealed that it had successfully obtained some breakfast from our bird feeders. Judging from the bill and feathers, today’s early bird special was most likely a dark-eyed junco. The full-size photo is probably not for the squeamish.
Meanwhile, indoors our mighty hunter Nanaimo, growling triumphantly, trotted around the house with Thing One’s new coonskin cap firmly in his jaws.
Days like these make us thankful for opposable thumbs and a high brain to body mass ratio.
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Tags: birdwatching, ragdoll cats
February 19th, 2009 10:16
so fun to catch up on what you have been up to! love the quilt and the fashion wallpaper is glorious!