Red Shouldered Hawk
Every day when I leave daycare, I drive around the building to take a look at the open field across the parking lot. Depending on how the morning goes with getting out the door, sometimes I have 2 minutes and sometimes I have 15. It has becoming my morning meditation, in a sense.
Something about coming from the intensity of trying to get everyone out the door to sitting still, observing the warm sunlight as it illuminates the golden field grasses and hoping to see something interesting feels like balance.
Some days there are robins, mockingbirds, bluebirds, crows and squirrels, but my favorite are the days my timing aligns with the red shouldered hawk. I have seen a pair, but most of the time she comes alone, perching in either the tallest oak tree or midway up the exposed branches with a clear view of the field.
We have spent months now curiously observing each other from a distance. I always park in the same spot where I can see both of her favorite perches. I like to watch as she scans the field and tilts her head in response to other sounds or small birds darting in and out out of the tall grass.
Today was a 2 minute day and as it was my first day back to work after being off for the holiday, I was somewhat preoccupied with my frustration at only having 2 minutes. I headed towards my spot and found her waiting for me. She was perched on the post closest to where I always park. She decided to fly to the fence post on the opposite side of the field as I slowly drove towards her, but even that was twice as close as she has ever been.
