Did Not Disappoint

Red-shouldered Hawk – Photo: L. Weikel

Well, I must admit – the anticipation I was feeling last night over the prospect of a serious taste of spring was not only met but exceeded. In short, today did not disappoint.

The sap – both proverbial and literal – is indeed rising in Mother Nature’s many splendored children. The excitement attendant to simply being alive and having survived a very snowy winter was palpable everywhere I looked (and listened).

It’s this listening part that had the biggest impact upon me today. Early this morning, as Karl and I were having our coffee and picking our cards for the day we heard a very loud and distinct bird call sounding an alarm that neither of us recognized. We both noticed it; the bird’s urgency was clear and unmistakable – and it sounded like it was practically right outside our front door, perhaps sitting in the lanky pine trees across the road.

Slowly opening the front door so I could hear the call more clearly and perhaps get a glimpse of this intriguing new vocalist, the simple warmth of the outside air enveloped my senses. Oh my, such a dramatic change. How is it that even though I knew to expect this lovely shift in the weather it nevertheless stopped me in my tracks and demanded I breathe deeply.

There it was again! That call! My eyes scanned the sky. There! I called to Karl to quickly come and see. At least two hawks were quite literally dancing in the sky just above us. I could see (and hear) another one, maybe two, also darting and swooping in and out of my line of vision. Another was perching in a still bare beech tree a hundred yards down the road.

Raptor ID

I checked my trustee “Raptor ID” app and was quickly able to identify the distinctive cry of these Red-shouldered Hawks. I’m extremely surprised, to be honest, that I’ve never isolated this cry in my mind well enough to identify it as a Red-shoulder. After today, I guarantee I’ll never forget it.

These birds were very clearly in full mating mode, calling and dancing, tumbling and soaring. I’ve honestly never witnessed such a full-on display of pure avian joy and desire to mate and create life. I was surprised to read that they tend to be monogamous and mate for life.

Fascinating.

Photo: L. Weikel

A Message and Realization

While I’m intimately familiar with Hawk in general being a messenger – when they show up it’s often a sign that a message is coming our way or we’re being asked to be a messenger in our own right – I wondered if the Red-shouldered has a particular significance (aside from being the creatures that I suspect snack readily on our smaller birds).

The most I could find specifically on the Red-shoulder was in Animal Speak* by Ted Andrews. As with the Red-tailed Hawk, which are found in abundance in our area (but they don’t tend to hang around near our house) was a focus upon its red (ferrous) coloring and the particularly intense vibrancy of energy they may be indicating is arriving in one’s life. They could be considered instigators of new ideas and optimism, hope and creative opportunities.

All I can say is that I was smitten by the intensity of their ardor. They entertained me for hours, even after I successfully identified them and did my best to capture some photos with my phone.

As I re-settled myself on our porch and started focusing upon my own creative endeavors, I realized with a mixture of delight and dismay that these predators are definitely hanging out on every side of our house – and sticking close. This clip captures both their call – and the probable reaction of all our ‘regulars.’