Hawk Talk
Hello there!
I hope your week has been good. All is well in my world, a bit quiet. Just plunking along…The weather in the days ahead looks like a nice, moderate stretch of summer. Can you feel the days getting shorter already, now that the summer solstice is behind us?
About ten days ago, I noticed a fledgling red-tailed hawk standing at the foot of a big sycamore tree in the front yard at St. Edward the Confessor Catholic Church. I had been watching the nest that its mother built for many weeks. The bird looked a bit confused, but not injured. It seemed to have left the nest a little sooner than it should have. Some of its juvenile feathers gave it the appearance of having a cowlick, Dennis the Menace-style. It was the size of a small chicken - not a chick by any means, but also not quite ready to fly. It screeched frequently, and its calls were answered by mama or papa.
Passers-by soon started noticing this creature, and soon thereafter the hawk talk on Facebook began. Should we intervene? Will its mother still care for it? Does anyone know of a rescue agency we could contact? All well-intentioned, but the dialogue yielded a really wide range of views (can you imagine that?!). My past experiences raising poultry and my frequent check-ins to see the bird had me feeling like it was in pretty good shape, and getting more robust each day. I saw mama sitting with it early Saturday morning, so I was hopeful she was still feeding it.
Come Monday morning, the bird was gone. Someone in the “Granville In The Know” Facebook group reported that someone from the Ohio Wildlife Center captured the bird last Sunday night (Fathers Day), was inspecting it, and would soon return it to the area. Thursday evening, while mowing the grass I noticed a woman and her two children standing in the yard at St. Ed’s, looking up at the tree canopy. After putting the mower away, I spoke with her, and she confirmed the hawk was returned - and pointed it out, sitting high up in one of the trees! According to her, the folks at the Ohio Wildlife Center made sure the bird had plenty of hydration and some food, returning it to its yard on Wednesday. Papa has been feeding it as well. Friday morning I heard not only our adventurous bird, but its siblings screeching for food from the nest. Papa screeched back, so all seemed to be back to normal.
Watching this adolescent bird deal with the consequences of its actions has been exciting. I definitely feel some caretaker instincts about the little thing. I started calling it “Henry the Hawk,” in honor of the fact that our son Henry will soon be flying the coop for grad school. Like the bird, Henry seems to be feeling some tentativeness about this upcoming transition. I know he’s ready. Before we know it, he’ll be soaring.
Sunday Supper
All this bird talk inspires this week’s Sunday Supper recommendation - Grilled Chicken with Cucumber, Radish and Cherry Tomato Relish, from Martha Stewart. (You know that little hawk would love to tear into some chicken now, don’t you?). It would pair well with this Macaroni Salad. Enjoy!
Sunday Music
If you’ve not heard of the World Cafe radio program, I’m pleased to introduce it to you. It is a show produced by WXPN, a public radio station in Philadelphia and carried locally by WCBE. Its purpose is to introduce listeners to up-and-coming musical artists, as well as to check in with legendary performers occasionally. Here is a recent live performance by Josh Ritter, a performance of Rosemary With A Bible and a Gun, by the Drive-By Truckers, and here is Kacey Musgrave performing High Horse. World Cafe’s YouTube channel is a fun rabbit hole to run down when you are looking for interesting new artists - enjoy!
Have a great week ahead! Offer support to others. Make good use of this day. And let me know how I can help.
Peace & Love,
Neal