Oh, dear friends, I need help! Since June 30th I have started post after post and haven't been able to finish even one of them. Feels like my brain has packed up and moved out.
Maybe if I start with the big sunflower in the teeny tiny garden, instead of the hawk story...
This morning, I counted 19 sunflowers on this one plant, it still towers above the 8' garden fence...
By the way, do you like the new Blogger? There are some things about it that drive me crazy! For one, how do you remove a photo from your post? Used to, you would click on the photo and had the option to 'remove'. Now, the only way, is to back space until the photo disappears. Today, I'm having problems loading pictures. I want the old blogger back!
Could be, this hot dry weather is affecting my brain. Seriously, we need rain terribly bad. Why, there have been thunderstorms and rain showers all around us, but not here.
Smokey says, "shoot, it feels good out here"! Well, Smokey, you need to wander up to the garden. Dry as a bone! and just when the big tomatoes hanging on the vines are beginning to ripen. I was out with the water hose at 8:30 last night, watering the garden.
and speaking of water, would you look how the water in the muddy little pond has changed...
why, you wouldn't know it was the same pond! Sure wish it would look this way all winter.
AND THE HAWK STORY. Since the middle of spring, we have been fortunate enough to have a pair of Red-tailed Hawks, nest and raise young, in a tall oak tree on the hill above the pond...
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| Red-tailed Hawk's Nest |
just to the right of the big mimosa tree...
When we first saw this pair of Red-tailed Hawks under the mimosa tree, we didn't realize they were a mating pair. Oh, they soared high above the pond, circling and screeching and then coming down to sit in the tree, or on the ground under the tree.
The hawks have been with us daily for weeks now; courting, building the nest, the female sitting on eggs, the male hunting and bringing food to the nest, and then two baby hawks.
The screeching was continuous and became louder as we realized there were four hawks now...two nestlings!
From the very beginning, the mimosa tree seemed to be the central meeting place. We don't know what happened, but the screeching of two nestlings changed to one. It became obvious that only one baby hawk had survived. When the one fledgling began to leave the nest, it was to that bottom limb of the mimosa...
and call that loud continuous screeching, for food. The adult was never far away. Many times we saw one of the adults bring a mouse or other small animal and light under the tree and the young hawk would jump down to the ground to eat. It was amazing to watch.
Here's a picture of the young hawk waiting for food...
Sorry the picture is fuzzy. I was sitting on the back porch.
Oh, if only there were more pictures to show you. I do have a little video; it's not the best, but you can hear the baby in the mimosa tree calling for food, and if you watch closely, near the end, you can see him fly from a bottom limb to a higher limb.
One funny story...Poppy was standing on the dam fishing one day when one of the adult hawks flew right over his his head carrying a mouse, dangling from his claws. That was when the two babies were still in the nest. Poppy could see the movement and excitement in the nest over the mouse. Poor mouse. :(
Guess I've gone on long enough. Thank you for looking in, if you're still here.
Gosh, I am so far behind, but I look forward to visiting you all and catching up. Sometimes I think it's this virus, and troubles in the world that's got me down. Hope things get back to normal soon. Never thought I would see the day that everyone wears a mask.
Love,
Henny
the nest
