Light blogging at the moment, given that my current stress level is, uh, a tiny little bit through the frakking roof. Past few weeks, I’ve had to limit myself in the number of things my brain can take on. To quip Darth Vader: “the force compartmentalization is strong in this one…”
I did, though, just want to give a quick follow-up on my last post. Driving home tonight, passing the interchange, I scanned the light poles. When I looked to my right, I saw not one red-tail, but two, one slightly larger than the other, perched on a pole.
Seems the subject of my musings has gone and gotten himself a mate.
The wild exists, and finds a way, indeed.
And maybe I’m just an old-fashioned romantic, but seeing them together was, I thought, pretty darn cool.
My smile. This is me showing it. 😀
By: narami on April 28, 2011
at 11:43 am
ahh, yes, spring is in the air.
By: seine on April 28, 2011
at 12:06 pm
Okay, does it make you feel even more warm & fuzzy to read the following from Wikipedia: 🙂
“It [Red-tailed Hawk] is monogamous, mating with the same individual for many years. In general, the Red-tailed Hawk will only take a new mate when its original mate dies.[22] The same nesting territory may be defended by the pair for years. During courtship, the male and female fly in wide circles while uttering shrill cries. The male performs aerial displays, diving steeply, and then climbing again. After repeating this display several times, he sometimes grasps her talons briefly with his own.” Now I want to see them holding hands (or talons) in flight!
By: skybluestateofmind on April 28, 2011
at 12:30 pm
So … maybe you should be trying out the courtship rituals SkyBlue mentioned. You never know, running around in a wide circles and uttering shrill cries, not to mention diving and climbing, might just be the thing to attract the girls.
By: Bruce H on April 28, 2011
at 1:39 pm
This makes me want to sing U2’s “Hawkmoon.” I think maybe they’re already singing it to each other… 😛
By: Mel Heth on April 29, 2011
at 12:19 pm
ooooh See, maybe nature will take over!
By: missmccracken on April 30, 2011
at 7:13 am
Ack. Stress is not fun. Make sure you’re taking time out for fun!
By: leafprobably on May 3, 2011
at 2:48 am
aaaw, sweet. and i love that the female is bigger 🙂
By: blakspring on May 4, 2011
at 10:04 am
Either it’s romance, or the prelude to a real-life “Birds” scenario. . . .
By: absurdbeats on May 8, 2011
at 11:52 am
Narami – So glad you liked it!
Seine – indeed, for the birds and bees too…
BlueSkyStateOfMind – Yep. Did you ever see the show on Pale Male in NYC? He only changed mates when one passed…
Bruce H – Well, nothing else has worked, so maybe it’s worth a shot!
Mel Heth – LOL, true!
MissMcCracken – Possibly so…
LeafProbably – Fun? What’s that?
BlakSpring – There’s a lot of species that’s true of, actually…
AbsurdBeats – I’m thinking the former… 😉
By: geekhiker on May 8, 2011
at 9:38 pm