OT, hawks and mowing.

Every time I mow over there I see birds of all sorts chasing the bug and grasshoppers I scare up. See a few cotton tail rabbits and general wild life , which is still pretty surprising because that small farm is in Arlington Texas with a major high school bordering the back fence. I have seen a fox on occasion living quite peacefully in the area. Of course the field rats are numerous out there also, although they never seem to get into the barn or horse shed.

Yesterday I saw the crows diving into the top of a pecan tree after something, you know how they do, couple or three will gang up and pester some other poor ole bird. Well this bird they were fooling with was a large Harris Hawk! He was just sitting up high in the branches , ignoring the crows and watching me mow. Hoping for a rabbit or field rat to come running out I am sure. I kept an eye on him every time I came around and then noticed that the crows had left. It was then that I noticed the hawks mate had moved over a few trees down the row and was also in watch. As I made the turn back to the north to go close to those trees I saw yet another hawk in his killing dive, wings folded back, aimed down at about 45 dgs just hauling out of the sky! He faired out and landed in the top of another tree!! Now I got three hawks watching me and of course the buzzards up high circling. Seems all other flying wild life had left the area.

This was too much, and me with out my camera! I often scare up bunnies or field rats out of those fields and they seem to know it.

Sure enough just after I had passed the first hawk and was making the corner turn, I glanced back to check and the first hawk was on the ground with something pinned to the ground!! He was watching me from no more than 30 feet away to make sure I didn't come back to get it I guess. I took my time on that round and when I came back to that side he was gone!

In a bit, I saw the other two hawks take off headed in the same direction. Never came back the whole time I was there , but the crows did, now that it was safe.

It just made my day, didn't mind the dust or the grass dust that kicked up my nose and was making me sneeze.

It is so good to see that the natural wild life can hang on that close to a major city.

A few years ago I was out with the haybine cutting the field for first cutting. Well mom and pop red tail were sitting in the trees in teh fence line just waiting. Sure enough I kick out a baby bunny and wooooosh mom (or dad not sure how to tell the difference) swoops down, grabs that bunny in her talons and takes it back to her babies. Well along I go, thinkng that was pretty neat. When I get back to that same area on teh next row over, another baby pops out and woooooshe Dad Hawk comes down and scoops up the buny and off to the nest. Well this happened four more times except they missed on buuny six and she made it into the weeds and got away. Well I had mayeb two more rows to cut and out pops momma rabbit. I must have been right over the nest and she was sittin tight until teh very last minuite. One of the hawks zoooms down tries twice to grab her including liftingt her up about a foot then dropping her. Momma bunny gets away unharmed. I dont kno if the rabbit was too big or the Hawks just got tuckered out.

Now for the past several years the hawks have been back, with new screeching babies every year. Mom and dad pick off whatever I kick out, mice, moles, rabbits. By second cutting teh baby hawks are usually learing to hunt and it is very enjoyable watching them miss 4 times out of 5 then get the hang of it.

One year I noticed a momma duck (mallard) circling around me as I was cutting hay. She would circle then off toward the pond then come back. Well after I had raked I found a nest full of eggs under the hay. Unfortunately all of them had been crushed by the wheels of my big clumsy Oliver 880.

I am never any happier than I am when I am sitting on my tractor watching mother nature at work.

Once I saw a shadow following beside me....didn't know he was up there.

Recently a big fat field rat ran out from under a windrow I was raking. I thought, boy would it be slick if a Coopers Hawk were here to get him. Hadn't even made one lap and a Coopers did appear and perched on top of a light pole.

I knew where the rat had moved and deliberately went over to that spot to rake. Sure nuf, he scuddled out and the hawk was watching cause seconds later, boom, had him under his claw. Must have been hungry as he perched on top a fat fence post and ate him right there.

Very enjoyable to watch nature in action.

I like it when a wild bird of prey gets so close, and watches your rythm and is not afraid of you or your machinery.

Like the gold fleeced Egrets that move out of the way at the last minute to let you by then whoosh right back in your traces.

Mark

It's neat to see things as they work together.