Watching

Yesterday morning, with the temperature around 12ºF (-11ºC) I was not outside. Instead I was cozy indoors with a fire in the stove and eggnog french toast on my fork. A flash of brown caught my eye out the window...

A hawk had landed first in my silver maple tree, then quickly moved to my neighbor's where it spent the next 15 minutes or so scoping out my veggie garden and surrounding ground.

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It seems that I get a chance to see hawks like this at least once or twice a winter.

This is an adult red-shouldered hawk. It's one of only three types of hawks that I ever see as far as I know, the other two being red-tailed hawks and Cooper's hawks.

There was more to see to the bird's left apparently, as that's where it focused its gaze longest. That's where my veggie beds are, so hopefully there's not too much rodent activity there.

I never saw him (her?) drop down to the ground, but I'm hoping I just missed it, and my garden has one less mouseish inhabitant.

It pays to be watchful.

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