Shortly after getting up, one morning this week, I was looking out the kitchen window when I realized something was looking right back in at me. It was a hawk, perched on the deck railing. We both held our position, the hawk swiveling its head back and forth looking for breakfast while I just stared.
You don’t usually get a long close look at a hawk, but this one sat for some minutes being admired. It was a broad-winged hawk. Various references say that these hawks like low perches, such as our deck railing, when they’re waiting for prey, and our yard abounds in prey.
Any kind of squirrel local to this area may be found in abundance in our yard, and the hawk seemed to think any one or more of them would be just the ticket. The bird tried for a quite a few of them over the next half hour or so, swooping after them from perch after perch but, at least while we were watching, the hunt was unsuccessful.
The problem lies with the squirrels, who did not wish to be caught. They’re pretty clever about it. They can pivot faster than a hawk on the wing, if they get surprised on the open branches of our trees. Running up into tree canopies doesn’t work well, because the canopies aren’t as thickly leaved as usual at this point of autumn.
The avoidance strategy that works best could be described simply as euonymus. The euonymus still have enough leaves that a squirrel that throws itself into one can evade a bulky hawk. My sweetheart and I were rooting for the bird, but it was still hungry when it left the yard, and we haven’t seen it since.
There’s more than just escaping from predators going on in area bushes. Birds that didn’t sing a lot during the summer, being busy with babies and all, are making themselves heard again. Red-winged blackbirds are trilling around their ponds. Cardinals are having sing-offs that sound a lot like training sessions, featuring a lead voice or two alternating with less-expert vocalizations.
Some less-expert vocalizations are coming from deep inside bushes. Youngsters are working on getting their patter down before migrating. It can sound like avian muttering. Sometimes the bushes whistle, as when the white-throated sparrows take over the massive trumpet vine on Georgetown. This is a great time of year for listening.
And for looking, of course. There was a heavy fog this morning, which made every colorful fall tree singular. You couldn’t see it at all till you were upon it, and then it was spectacular, gold or orange or scarlet all you could see against the grey.
The sky has cleared since then, the sun bright and the temperature mild. My honey and I went out to enjoy the weather while we accomplished errands. We stopped by church to drop off items for the Breakfast Program. St. Andrew’s has served breakfast, for anyone who wants to come eat it, for the last forty-four years.
There’s an appeal on now for warm winter outer wear for breakfast guests. Daughter Number Two recently passed along such a jacket. She didn’t need it, and had a strong interest in getting it to someone who could use it. Mission accomplished.
After the stop at church, we repaired to the Dairy Queen for what will probably be the last treat of that ilk before winter. The DQ on West Stadium has already closed for the season, but the one on Packard is still open. If we get something from the west-side DQ, we tool over to Vets Park to watch the skateboarders or ballplayers doing their thing. When we hit the Packard DQ, we go to Burns Park to watch the tennis and pickleball courts.
Today there were four young fellas rallying with each other on two of the tennis courts, late high schoolers or college freshmen. They were at the point in their lives and tennis careers that, whenever they wanted to put a little something extra on the ball, they would forget form entirely, fail to follow through their swings, and send the ball directly into the net.
Even so, it was fun to watch the ease with which the kids’ bodies moved, and the pleasure they took in running and hitting balls with friends on a sunny Friday afternoon. By the time we’d finished our Dairy Queens, the courts were filling up, including both pickleball courts. As we backed out of our parking place, my honey was heard to say, “It would be nice to be young again.” From his lips to God’s ears.
23 October 2026