It just barely caught my eye in the brilliance of an early October morning. A slight, barely discernible rustling in the high branches of a pine tree, lending one branch a distinction that set it apart from the others, is what gave it away. One of my few talents is being able to quickly locate when something is out of place – it’s a trick of the Virgo eye, and a bane to the existence of my friends when their hair is awry or they’ve got a piece of bacon on their boob (ok, in that case I didn’t notice right away since I’m gay and boobs don’t attract my attention).
On this morning, I detected the movement of one singular bough, the pinecones dangling at its end bobbing ever so slightly, and hidden in the shadows of the evergreen needles was a large bird of prey. I couldn’t make it out at first, as its back was to me. It seemed to be making a nest and working on something in the upper-echelon of its perch, and as it turned around I could see it bob its head up and down as if eating something. Circle of life, I suppose.
Standing there and capturing some of its motions on camera, my arms ached a bit as it went patiently about devouring its morning meal. A blue jay fluttered by at one point, squawking loudly in some vain effort to chase it away, but the hawk simply ignored it, continuing to enjoy its breakfast. After a while, the hawk stood then took off, flying across the sky to another pine tree nearby, where it was joined by another hawk. Two now perched upon the pine, resplendent and regal in their composure and power beneath the morning sun. What a sight to behold.
Photos and video rarely do these magnificent beauties justice – the perspective is always askew without a frame of reference, but you can feel how enormous they are, and sense their size as they bend boughs that only sway in the strongest gusts of wind. Silently, one takes off again – danger and might gliding through the air – a warning and a reminder to keep one eye on the sky at all times.
