Years ago I stepped out the back of our house to find Osh the cat, looking skyward into the trees, mesmerized. I'd seen the look before as he keyed in on some bird, hoping beyond hope that it would land nearby and he could pounce. This was different though. He was rooted, tail twitching, gazing high into the tree. I stopped, looked up and saw, perched on a branch about 25 feet above, a red tailed hawk; head cocked to the side, looking down. Each of the these creatures was riveted upon the other. I let out a roar of laughter. Osh briefly looked at me with that "What the hell is so funny" gaze of his before returning to the hawk. I sat down next to him, as any responsible pet owner would do, to have a little "Come to Bill The Cat" chat with him.
"Osh...Buddy, THAT is not your standard sparrow/morning dove/cardinal your licking your chops and having kitty fantasies about. That is a Hawk and you don't want to mess with him." Here before me were these two natural adversaries eying each other up and down. Two pea sized brains rapidly assessing the situation and both coming to the same conclusion....LUNCH! I chuckled, told Osh to be careful and walked off.
My reason for sharing this vignette...There are a few things in this world that give me unbridled pleasure. One is being on my BMW. I love and live to ride. Another is Birds of Prey. I love seeing them. Eagles, Hawks, Owls, Falcons, the list goes on. Soaring gracefully above the water or gliding above an open field, looking for their next meal.
I travel an easy 26 miles to the office each day. Past open fields and farmlands. Without fail, during my ride to or from the office, I'm rewarded with a falcon or hawk, either perched on a wire surveying their domain, standing just off the shoulder of the road, some small creature clutched in its talons, or swooping across one of the fields in pursuit of a meal. Seeing these creatures stirs something deep inside of me. I want to haul down on the brakes of the big Adventure bike, stop and take pictures. I resist. My chances of one of these amazing birds sitting still for a dumb bipeds kodak moment are minimal and stopping on the side of the road is an invitation for some twit in a cage to target fixate and run me over.
So I continue on my way, each morning or afternoon ride made all the better by these amazing birds. I silently thank Mother Nature or The Supreme Being of Winged Creatures, for affording me the opportunity to see them and wondering if maybe, just maybe, I'd been a falconer for some royal entity in a previous lifetime.
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