Dollar Red-tail Reappears, and a Crow Steals Blossom the Snow Bear's Eyes

Photograph by Kevin Camp, KCactionphoto
Tulsa Photographer Kevin Camp took this gorgeous shot of a Red-tailed Hawk in flight at Holla Bend National Wildlife Reserve, in Arkansas.

Not that I forget, but now and again I am newly struck by the beauty and ease of these creatures.

Which brings us to Dollar the Red-tail who hunts from the big Oak behind the Dollar General Store.

Will I never learn. I jumped into the car to run get some cleaning supplies and didn't bring anything for camera equipment but my baby Nikon.


Dollar who consistently blows me off when I have it, no doubt would find this as amusing as all get out. He glances over. Ha! That little camera doesn't have didley for magnification. I could stay up here in this tree all day.


And he turns back to his view of the field beyond and waits for a rodent to rear its head. Fine. I'll fool him and just run home quickly and grab my other stuff.

Which I do. Coming back I look up into the tree from the far side of the store and...What? The little turkey isn't there! Well, I still need laundry detergent so I turn into the driveway. And there he is, clever hawk that he is. He's moved down the tree and into a position where he can't be seen from the side I was coming from. He's no fool.

Though just why he is facing one way but scrutinizing his field of possible prey by turning his head around backwards, I've no idea?

Then when I look down to do a camera adjustment and look back up again, he's turned completely around. That was fast. And no doubt I'm way busted.

Ahhhh, that's why he was hunting backwards. The wind. He's got a chill cross wind which plays havoc with his fluffy anterior feathers.

He's back to hunting for a second and a half...

and then he's gone. Soaring across the field for the trees in the hedgerow. He attempts a landing but the Crows have been waiting for just such a move and immediately begin bombing him. He's up again and heading in the opposite direction from the store.

And I throw everything into the truck and attempt to cut him off at the pass of St. Mary Cemetery Road. But he's clever and knows I'm around and so though I drive all over the area in the direction in which he went, there is no more Red-tailed hawk joy to be had today.

At home I see that someone has finally discovered the bowl of sunflower seeds in Blossom the Snow Bear's lap. The Crow scrutinizes carefully. She wouldn't want to fall for some kind of trap. A second crow lands on Blossom's head and begins to remove her charcoal briquette eyes.

Why?



Bowl Crow continues to eat but Head Crow after removing the coal, pokes around the eye depression just in case there is anything yummy lower in the snow. Finally satisfied that nothing lurks below the surface, head Crow picks up a briquette and flies away with it.



Why?



I know caged birds are sometimes given teeny bits of charcoal in the grit as it's supposed to be good for digestion. But do wild crows know that? Or is it an old Crow's Wives Tale?



Is there a Crow stomach ache going around and here's a handy Crow home remedy?



Well folks, we just never know do we?

Donegal Browne