The Curious Hawk And The Angry Goose

I was on the deck whistling for Chuck and putting out food. I decided to fill the water containers. When I bent down to get the hose a large shadow passed over me. A red tailed hawk had landed in a branch almost directly above me! This is one big bird. I put the hose down and walked towards her, only 10 or 15 feet separating us. The hawk cocked its head this way and that. I whistled to her, she didn't fly away. I went inside to get my glasses and went back out and she was still there plumping her wings. I've never been this close to a hawk, certainly never one that was so at-ease around humans. I began to think maybe it wasn't a good idea to be so close, it being a wild animal, so I backed up and as I opened the door she dropped off the branch and flew by me. Blessed be, within feet! Her wing span looked wider than I am tall.

This is a red-tailed hawk (not mine) from Richard's Bird Blog. He has a nice set there of this juvenile learning to fly. Mine had a bigger head and a broader wing span, perhaps an adult.



This isn't a hawk but the video was making rounds yesterday and it was the reason I backed off:


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