time of hawks

I used to think that looking at this magnificent animals fly was a unique sight. I grew up in a large city where the birds are not noticed, since the loud noise of the streets and the people is always so present, you can hardly notice anything else.

I knew very little about birds, their names, their habits, if they were always there or if they would migrate. But when I moved to New Orleans, the first thing I notice was the blue jays and their loud callings. At night time, there was “Pancho”( EC used to called him that way); this little bird that would not stop singing no matter how late it was.

Birds along with squirrels were that sight that would call my attention. I could not believe the amount of birds I could see all the time; the black ones with the one red spot on their wings at the bayou, the grey ones with black and white markings that would sing non stop in different tunes…

And then I learned, the red ones were called cardinals, the little black ones starlings, the grey with black and white markings mocking birds, the small and cute chickadees, the Inca doves, the craws, and so on.

On a trip to my country I was taught to spot the big birds, and I actually saw for the very first time eagles, golden eagles, red tail hawks, ospreys.

When I lived in California I learned to spot the eagles and the hawks. We used to take trips to visit my mother and I would look and the light poles, at the wires, where some times this big birds would perch to look for food.

Today we took a trip around to go looking for birds; I often see them around my house, when I go running or when I walk my dogs.  I actually get to see other kind of big birds too since there were built a couple of water holes to prevent flooding in the city. Now and then, we see blue herons and egrets, and every winter we hear the goose callings as they migrate. And of course, we get to see some kestrels, red tail hawks and ospreys, along with the other little things.

Today, though, we did not seem to be so lucky, we drove and drove without a bird sight. We thought it may not be the best time to do it, may be we were supposed to get up earlier, but then, we get lucky and there is a kestrel, sitting on a wire. A bit latter I could see my first hawk.
We made a couple of stops to look at them closer, we take the binoculars, we wait….The best was the one that was standing at the top of a pole eating what appeared to be a squirrel.

The search ends.

Later we went to buy lunch in a little shop, and ate lunch at the little town of Chapel Hill.

It was a good day!

But the funniest thing to me was that as we drove back into the city, I saw more hawks here than on the rolling hills. So I think that sometimes you go looking for wat you already have near, but you just don’t see it….

As I think about this I remembered that hawks migrate, I remembered that they will go away again and that the feeling of the good sign that they give each time I see them, it’s only a superstition of mine. And yet, every time I see one, I cannot stop the feeling that their very presence is indeed of a good sign. Is that what they are? Signals? Signs of something good?

I have no logical answer, all I know is that I like to believe that they are.
Today we saw hawks on the sky J