Anyone having ever stopped to watch a hawk in flight will know this is one of the natural world’s most elegant phenomena. – John Burnside, Scottish poet, writer. (1955-)

August is the month of the high-sailing hawks. How beautiful and majestic are his movements. – John Burroughs, American naturalist (1837-1921)

The man of the house left at an unbelievable hour headed for one or two of Mississippi’s famous crappie fishing lakes. It always unnerves me a bit him heading out early, dark, and on mostly country backroads. We always say a little prayer. Most mornings I’m in deep sleep while the fisherman leaves except for the morning I awoke and watched his leaving from the window. Headlights appeared then came the boat looking like an entry in the Christmas parade. Bright red and white lights lit up the dark. It eased my concerns somewhat knowing most folks wouldn’t be up and out that early in the morning and no one could miss seeing a Christmas float passing. So back to sleep it was.

Hours later I headed for the kitchen to find the coffee pot ready to go with the touch of a button. Meanwhile throwing laundry into the wash, letting Wilhelmina out, then heading to the porch. It was a cool morning requiring a light sweater. How welcoming the cool was. Butterflies flited, hummingbirds fed, while I sipped coffee with Wilhelmina nearby.

It was then I noticed down the drive just at the edge of the grass was a hawk. In the shadow the bird looked dark but once it stepped into the sunlight his back was brown with brown and white streaks below. Where we might call shoulders, feathers were a rusty-red brown. The tip of his tail and wings were black and white in rows. We’d seen this hawk for a few days. It was often on the ground then suddenly it elevated straight up into a tree like a helicopter. The trees are so lush with leaves the bird was difficult to see. It would also soar across the lawn and fields. It would not be long before the hawk was back on the ground. It also stayed fairly close to the house. When the fisherman was home and sitting on the porch the hawk didn’t seem to mind us at all. The hawk made it apparent it did not want crows in the area. About 5 crows burst out from the woods only to find the hawk following behind protecting his territory. There are times when crows will make large flocks and descend on a hawk. If the hawk is greatly outnumbered crows can take down the hawk. Blue jays are also very territorial and have been known to take down other birds, hawks, owls, and possibly squirrels.   

A Google search identified the bird as a Red-shouldered hawk. This hawk is somewhat smaller than a common Red-tailed hawk though it is not really small. Turns out Red-shouldered hawks are year-round Mississippi residents. They like to nest near water and in tall trees. I was relieved to read they will not harm my hummingbirds. A hawk chasing a hummingbird would be like a human chasing a fly for his dinner.

Shannon Bardwell is a writer living quietly in the Prairie. Email reaches her at [email protected].

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