Waterfowl has been a rare sight at the river this winter. The water is high and is flowing quickly. It's just unsafe for a duck or goose who needs rest, preen and feed. And now with colder temperatures the water is turning to ice. But all I need to do is turn my head to the sky and I notice that birds of prey have been observing me —and other more interesting animals the entire time. Mostly, I spot Red-tailed hawks up in their favorite trees. Their bulky shapes calmly perch on high, far above the din of blue jays and the morning commute into Boston.
I was surprised a few days ago however by a Cooper's Hawk which was perched on a utility pole across from the church. It was very cold and a breeze kicked up to make it more foolish to stop and draw pictures. I guess the artist won the debate (and the bird was patient) and I was able to spend a few minutes marveling at this slender, long-tailed woodland hawk. Instead of soaring up high in lazy circles, the Cooper's Hawk stays on the forest edge or near your bird feeder preying on smaller birds and mammals. Since this one was near the church, I presume he was checking out the persistent flock of pigeons that stay warm by the church's chimney.
The third drawing here is out my front door. Beyond the ubiquitous wires that help me communicate with you, is a tall dead pine tree which is commonly used by the Red tails. And you can see one up there. Sometimes there are two.
A snowstorm is headed my way today and it's time to go outside and draw before my work day begins. I wonder if there's a hawk in that big tree. Bonne journée.
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| 01-11-19-hawk01 charcoal, pastel |
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| 01-11-19-hawk02 charcoal, pastel (My field notes say "Sharp-shinned Hawk" but I think it was a Cooper's Hawk) |
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| 01-13-19-hawk charcoal |
I so enjoy your blog posts!
ReplyDeleteThank you Anna. I try to keep them short :)
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