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WhiteCarrot of Zenith
Jun. 24th, 2017 10:15 pmThis is another version of Midsummer's Day--the classic version, traditionally celebrated on June 24, the Feast of St. John the Baptist, regardless of the technical, astronomical version. It was a perfectly beautiful summer day: sunny blue sky with dazzling white clouds sailing on a fresh breeze, pleasant but not too hot. We finally got out in the back yard and did a lot of weeding, and the Sparrowhawk mowed the lawn. There's still a lot more to do, but I feel better for having made some inroads! In the process, I discovered a little mystery.
The other Midsummer's Day, the 21st, started off with me drinking coffee and gazing out into my back yard, early in the morning. I heard a crow squawking loudly, sounding the alarm, and then a great twittering of small birds. A swift shadow slid across the yard, and there was a lot of squeaking and scrabbling. Followed by SILENCE. After some time, the birds cautiously returned. I surmised that the hawk had visited my yard, but when I went out to look, I saw nothing. If he had been there, he had already come and gone with his prey. Today, I stepped over by the fence to look at the hardy roses I had planted there. A branch with a couple of blossoms was broken off, and underneath it, I saw a scattering of blue jay feathers and scraps of down. Oh Mr. Jay! Alas, no more will your cheeky boasts be heard from atop the bird feeder. I am surprised the hawk captured a jay. I'd been expecting that he'd take one of the smaller sparrows out of the crowd. At a pause in my weeding, I looked up and saw a pair of hawks soaring amid the clouds above my neighborhood. They are beautiful, but still, I take it personally that they ate my friend the bluejay! Next time I hope they get a chipmunk instead. We could spare a couple of those--they keep trying to nibble their way into my house.
The other Midsummer's Day, the 21st, started off with me drinking coffee and gazing out into my back yard, early in the morning. I heard a crow squawking loudly, sounding the alarm, and then a great twittering of small birds. A swift shadow slid across the yard, and there was a lot of squeaking and scrabbling. Followed by SILENCE. After some time, the birds cautiously returned. I surmised that the hawk had visited my yard, but when I went out to look, I saw nothing. If he had been there, he had already come and gone with his prey. Today, I stepped over by the fence to look at the hardy roses I had planted there. A branch with a couple of blossoms was broken off, and underneath it, I saw a scattering of blue jay feathers and scraps of down. Oh Mr. Jay! Alas, no more will your cheeky boasts be heard from atop the bird feeder. I am surprised the hawk captured a jay. I'd been expecting that he'd take one of the smaller sparrows out of the crowd. At a pause in my weeding, I looked up and saw a pair of hawks soaring amid the clouds above my neighborhood. They are beautiful, but still, I take it personally that they ate my friend the bluejay! Next time I hope they get a chipmunk instead. We could spare a couple of those--they keep trying to nibble their way into my house.
