Thursday, February 19, 2009

Quiet and Peacefully

Hawks have a special meaning for me.
They often can be seen soaring above our field.
Sometimes we see them perched, as here.

This is a Red-shouldered Hawk.

Red-shouldered Hawks hunt by patiently waiting,

perched in a tree or similar high point.

.........


Then there are Red-tailed Hawks, which was

the hawk I saw Tuesday, on my hike in the woods,

- they alone have a certain raspy "Kre eee arr" cry-

which is used in movies to

represent any eagle or hawk anywhere in the world.

They are considered a large hawk that

spends most of their time soaring.

.........

This, I believe, is a Cooper's Hawk-



They are a medium sized, dark gray or gray-brown hawk,


they have a longer tail that ends in a white band.



I only know these things because I "googled" hawks!
..........
Now this just doesn't seem fair!




They like to perch on our fence railings too-






only to fly away, before I can get a decent picture!








This was taken through my window just before lift off.




...........

Soaring hawks bring up memories of my Mother.
She would sit for hours on my front porch watching birds.

On the morning she passed..... while thinking
of her and sitting where she normally sat.....

a hawk swept down and took a small bird in mid air,
only ten feet in front of where I sat.

Agitated at first, but calmed with the thoughts of.....
how quiet and peacefully it had happened.

............

3 comments:

Teresa said...

What, a beautiful, and amazing story. It touched my heart deeply. I absolutely love your blog, and as I sipped my morning coffee I felt I was there with you, my soul was quiet and peaceful...thankyou for commenting on my blog. I am on a journey to find happiness and peacefulness, I certainly find that here on your front porch.

Bernie said...

Oh Wanda, what a wonderful gift you have, your pictures and how you present them on your blog are more than any words can describe. I so loved this posting, the hawk sounds like a harsh name yet you have made it soft and beautiful. Again I enjoyed my visit on your porch and thank you for sharing your mother with us. You made me feel she too was warm, soft and caring. God Bless my friend.

Barb said...

This is the first time I've visited your blog, and I must comment. Sometimes a person can find a universal truth in a specific happening. You've captured it here. The mention of your mother brought tears to my eyes. Thank you!