Four Hawks

Life was feeling overwhelmingly hard

until I drove to the airport and back


on the drive

four different hawks

in four different places

eyeballed me

three on light poles

and one on the branch of a tree

how can we forget

the goodness of life

when sharing this planet

with such majestic beauty?



I already know it's everywhere

even in times that feel hellish

there is something sweet to notice

but the birds

they give me more strength

than any super hero

ever dreamed of having.



In deepest gratitude to the wonder...

Nature Wins Every Time

Yesterday

It was a dark and stormy night. Afternoon, actually. The tornado sirens were blaring - a sound that I haven't heard, except during testing, for years and years. Wind and rain and hail pounded, sirens wailed and Mr. Carol For Peace and I ran outside and threw our bodies over the vegetable plants to save their lives. Okay, we threw sheets over the tomatoes and the broccoli plants. I wanted to hide in the closet so the furious tornado didn't fly me to KANSAS. Mr. Buddha dog had different ideas. So did Mr. CFP. Ms. Kitty slept. No one hid from danger, but we're still here and our house still stands.

When things finally calmed down, we went out to survey the damage. The tomatoes survived with very little damage. The broccoli... the green beans... the peas... the lettuce... the swiss chard... Well, the funeral will be held later this week.

Suddenly, another ominous sound. Not the tornado siren, but the DOORBELL! It was my cousin, Larry! He had just arrived from... KANSAS!!! (I swear, it's the truth!)

Oh, what a tumultuous day! One thing after another!!!

I took photos of the damage to my veggies, but Gmail and Blogger have not been my friends lately. I can seldom get my email to work and I can't upload any photos on this *#%* blog. I HOPE that this photoless post reaches the outside world.


Today

Leaves are still plastered on the sidewalk. Plant parts are strewn across the garden.

Mr. CFP, Larry, Mr. Buddha, and I went cooper's hawk next visiting. Three babies and mom and dad were available for our viewing pleasure.

La la la la life goes on...

Chirpers

Nesting Super Sleuth, Carol, thought that there were some birds interested in homesteading somewhere near her office window. The signs were there. Much bird traffic going on a couple of weeks ago. Grass in places it shouldn't ought to be. Still, there was no sign of a completed home UNTIL... today - the telltale sounds of baby CHIRPING, heard from inside the eave of the house.

The Nest Scene - notice the hole up there.

Close-up evidence. This is where the sound of multiple chirps and tweets were heard.

Now, in order to gather more evidence, Carol is going to have to sit at her open window for hours and watch for mom and pop to bring food to the nest. In order to do this, she's calling in sick tomorrow...

Flying High

It's not often that one can look down upon a soaring hawk. We were on a cliff in Greenbank on Whidbey Island, looking down upon the Admiralty Inlet, when a red-tailed hawk flew between us and the water. Be still, my little heart. What a show! Never before have I seen the bird's red tail like this.

I am the eagle, I live in high country
In rocky cathedrals that reach to the sky
I am the hawk and there's blood on my feathers
But time is still turning, they soon will be dry
And all of those who see me, all who believe in me
Share in the freedom I feel when I fly

Come dance with the west wind and touch on the mountain tops
Sail o'er the canyons and up to the stars
And reach for the heavens and hope for the future
And all that we can be and not what we are
- John Denver

Goodbyes

We may never see these owls again. I don't have a lot of time to visit the Owl family right now and it won't be long until the babies are taking flying lessons.

Here are a some photos from a couple of days ago (thanks to Mr. Carol for Peace). Both kids were out of the nest and mom and dad were hanging out in different trees nearby.

See both of them? (Little guy is down in the left-hand corner.) One is much more mature than the other.

Big Brother

I've been trying to figure out how the babies got out of the nest and onto tree branches. For the past few days, they have been perched high in another cottonwood that sits a few feet away from their nest. They must be able to fly a little already - probably taking night classes in flight instruction.

I tried to watch them as long as I could (as long as my neck could stand to crane and my arms could tolerate holding the binoculars to my eyes), because I wanted to be there when they got a meal delivery or decided to move to a new branch. But neither of those things occurred on my watch.

I'm going to miss the little fellers.

Bubo virginianus

The great-horned owl species is called Bubo virginianus. Lovely, huh?

Other facts:
Wingspans are 36 - 60 inches. The female is 10% - 20% larger than the male.
The owl can take prey that is 2 - 3 times heavier than itself. It can swallow a small rabbit whole.

Mr. Carol For Peace got himself a new, fancy camera that can get closer photos than our other cameras. He took these this evening:

Dad

The Young'uns

What a difference 11 days can make! To see what they looked like just 11 days ago, click here.
It won't be too long - maybe a couple of weeks - before the babies will be out of the nest and not easy to find.

Unlike recent years, this year we've had to share this family with many other human visitors. This nest is located in a place where there is a fair amount of foot traffic, due to its proximity to a parking lot and a road. Once one person sits and looks at the owls with a big, honkin' lens, everyone else wants to see them, too. I generally like to keep nest locations a secret, since you never know the intentions of some people, but this year I have been enjoying how much pleasure people get from watching these beautiful creatures.

Tuesday

"He respects Owl, because you can't help respecting anybody who can spell TUESDAY, even if he doesn't spell it right." A. A. Milne

Our Tuesday visit to the Owl family.

(Don't worry, they'll be out of the nest and gone soon, and I'll be having to find something else to post about. I think that owls are way more interesting than anything that I have to say.)

Babies in the nest (lower left) and mom nearby (upper right)

On our way back, I saw what I thought was a white plastic bag caught in a tree. But then it moved and I pulled out my binoculars to find:

A black-crowned night heron

Spending time with the birds makes everything alright.

Ooooooh, Baby!

Mom Owl was out shopping. Dad, after hanging out late last night, was napping in a nearby tree. And the two young'uns were left alone at home. With no parents to contend with, my job as a peeping Thomasina was nice and easy today.

How do kids grow up so fast???

A few days ago, they were little puff balls. Now, they look like awkward adolescents.

The precocious and out-going child

The outgoing child with shy little sister or brother peering out from behind.
(With thanks to my rock star son for editing out the little branch that was in front of little owl's face.)

Kool-Aid tree. (I don't know what they are called, but they fill the air with the aroma of Kool-Aid that is so strong, I can almost taste it.)

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood.

Peace & Love to you!

Introducing the Owl Family, 2009

Dad

Mom

Can you see her?

The little sneaks. They nested inside a tree - WAY high. We were probably looking right at them last week and we didn't even see them. Somehow, a man found them and while he was watching them, my friend came upon him. If it weren't for that bird-watching stranger, we would probably never have found the nest.

Today I watched as two little, fluffy, white heads with beaks and big eyes peered around mom. Oh, it was WONDERFUL!

One of Us

Today we watched herons and hawks. They flew through the sky and among the trees. They sat on branches. They warmed nests.

One hawk soared in circles over and around me. I watched with my binoculars and I felt like I, too, rode the currents. I felt like I was flying free.

It reminded me that, when one of us frees our self so that our acts come from love instead of ego and self-interest, when one of us is clear and sees the truth, we help free those around us to do the same.

Our Housemates

This photo isn't great, but finches are skittish little creatures, so I took the photo from inside, far from the door. Mom is in the nest and dad is next to it. I'm soooo hoping that they will stay this year. I don't know how many nests they've built here over the years, but they've never stayed until babies hatched. All doors to the backyard are near this nest, and the birds ALWAYS fly away when we even THINK about getting near their home, so I'm trying to be very quiet and slow as I let the Buddha dog in and out. I just wish that Buddha would understand this situation so that he wouldn't bang on the door when he wants in.

I LOVE birds!