The Red-shouldered Hawk

 

The hawk was everything I wanted to be in life:

 solitary, self possessed, free from grief and numb to the hurts of human life."

~Helen MacDonald

H is For Hawk

I spotted this absolutely gorgeous, Red-shouldered Hawk, the other day, while we were on Woodbridge road. There aren't as many birds, in our usual places, as there should be, another sign that 2026 will be another difficult year for birding. It's okay. I know there are some hawks like this one, and a particularly chatting Belted Kingfisher along Woodbridge, and some Greater White-fronted Geese on Desmond, so we will start out okay, then it just might mean trips along the coastline for the seabirds and shore birds. Spring will bring the perching birds, and certain hawks in the summer. Pretty soon, I will sitting here again, just before the calendar turns to 2027 and I will be thinking about another year to come. For birds, health and life. But that's a long way off... and five minutes away.

A Quote And A Hawk

 

“I dreamed my shoulders held up the sky for a thousand hawks that squawked and cawed and beat their feathered wings against the hotness of the day. I supported their flight, watching and marveling, until sweat dripped from my body, and groans crossed my lips over fatiguing muscles.

Choosing to let the sky fall, I awoke.

My eyes opened to a cast of hawks gripping me in their talons. They supported my weight, hauling me high above the clouds through a blue expanse of heaven. And though they struggled—squawking and flapping wearily—never once did a single bird release its hold.” 

 

 
~Richelle E. Goodrich,

  Making Wishes: Quotes, Thoughts, & a Little Poetry for Every Day of the Year

 

Today, Just a quote and a beautiful bird, the Red-shouldered hawk.

 The world can take care of itself.

 

The Hawk And The Tree

 

“Seeing him amid the yellow leaves and berry-colored hips of the spent roses, and the fading hollyhocks gone to seed along the garden wall, filled her heart."

~Susan Wiggs,

  The Lost and Found Bookshop

 

 Yesterday we went to Yolo Bypass to check on how things are doing there. To my dismay, it was dismal. There were some perching birds, and some hawks, but that was it, well, except for a few ducks. No Snow Geese, no Sandhill Crane. Although I saw both species fly over the preserve, they just kept flying. It was sad. I am used to having all that beauty around me, this year they seem to be lost on their journey along the flyway. I am really hoping this distressing time heals soon. 

By the way... if you are wondering where this gorgeous hawk is in the tree, look in the upper left hand side a bit closer to the middle.    :)