The Friend
For the last two weeks, a juvenile hawk has been hunting the same patch of woods as I have. In the summer, when he was very young, I would sometimes see him catching praying mantises in the orchard. Prior to then, I hadn't known that hawks sought insects. But now he's moved into the forest.
There is some overlap in our prey, so hunting with him is a little interesting. Usually he doesn't know I'm there. I sit and wait, sometimes for a very long time, and then out of nowhere there will be a chorus of alarms from the chipmunks, squirrels, and crows. And I know it's the hawk because there is no other sound -- nothing walking.
He doesn't stay long. He perches, looks around. He might harass a squirrel. Then he flies off. He's impatient, comparatively.
But the nice thing is that when he arrives, the small game around me announces itself, but I remain hidden; and once the hawk leaves, they tend to peek out to make sure that it's safe -- the perfect time to take a shot.
I hope he stays the winter.
There is some overlap in our prey, so hunting with him is a little interesting. Usually he doesn't know I'm there. I sit and wait, sometimes for a very long time, and then out of nowhere there will be a chorus of alarms from the chipmunks, squirrels, and crows. And I know it's the hawk because there is no other sound -- nothing walking.
He doesn't stay long. He perches, looks around. He might harass a squirrel. Then he flies off. He's impatient, comparatively.
But the nice thing is that when he arrives, the small game around me announces itself, but I remain hidden; and once the hawk leaves, they tend to peek out to make sure that it's safe -- the perfect time to take a shot.
I hope he stays the winter.