Hiho Hawkwatchers
I begin my posting as usual with a greeting to all who watch hawks, especially
to those who do it on a regular basis and send in the records. Its one thing to
enjoy looking up to see and later identify your Birds but another thing much
finer to study what you see, record it, and have an aim to preserve those
wonderful beings that you see. Not able to do this each and every day is a
pity but for almost everyone to do those simple tasks, look up. see, hear and
learn all that you can and you will be a real Hawkwatcher.These days on the
Hill are now noticeably different from those that went before not only in
composition of birds to be seen but in a feeling I can't quite describe. Its a
lateness of the year, a slowing, a different chord to the music of life, I
guess. When one sits in the same place day after day and watches the
progression of the seasons the rate of passage of time changes and so does
one's sensitivity to the gradualness of the changing scene; in otherwords, you
slow do
wn. It took me a while to understand this but now I totally get it. Imagine
the transformation of one Bay Street Boy for whom time could not rush fast
enough so he could get more and more of it into a man of no action, no ego, a
creature of sight sound and total awareness of the Moment. Its a form of
therapy, I think. But perhaps I've taken root. By the way if you are curious
about this state of mind it only seems to happen when you are alone. I think I
have it but don't feel bad about you sitting down and talking to me and
because I think I've gotten to the stage where I can do it whenever I want.
After you're gone.
Today was typical of October, there were:
49 Turkey Vultures (not even raptors are they, really, but
probably the most fun of all)
1 Osprey (most move earlier in the season as heat shuts
down the fishing in shallow water)
5 Northern Harriers (ground -based prey are getting scarce
now)
26 Sharpies (moving with their tucker)
9 Coopers (bird feeding stations are changing customers but
each year more and more Coopers are being born to take on your birdfeeders.
They'll get 'em all. Isn't that wonderful?))
7 Red Shoulders ( bit of a mystery to me what they do, next
year I'll study harder)
8 Red Tailed (making room for the new guys coming down from
the North or are these ones the new ones already?
3 Golden Eagles (my birding breath is held) but could
these guys be enjoying the population surge of Bald Eagles and for the same
Reasons?
1 American Kestrel (thank you Railroads for not being so
obsessive about spraying and cutting your verges)
2 Merlins (took 'em some time but watchout! I think
they've discovered the Big Smokey City)
Fella named Curtis got himself a camera and came to folks he thought would make
him into a good birder. He spent time with Jean Iron and Wayne Renaud,
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