A Red-Tailed Hawk and Other Fine Birds

There are a few ways to enter the South Lawn via walks and stairs that branch-off from the sidewalk.  If you drive to the park it is not as likely that you will use one of these paths; which is why they are my favorite spots, especially when the park is swarming with activity. The path I took earlier this week is lined with boxwoods and has a thick stand of trees about. A bench, tucked off to the side is the perfect quiet spot in the summer.

This secondary walk to the South Lawn has another lovely feature, it is always teaming with birds: chickadees, nuthatches, sparrows, robins, cardinals... and many more I fear I simply do not know the name of. I wish I had a zoom lense for my camera so I could capture some better photos. But it is what it is- a wonderful place to start the morning amongst the chatter of birds.

This Robin (see above) seemed to care little how close I got to him. He fluttered about the urn and chatted up a storm as I crept closer and closer to get a better photo. 

Walking back to the arbor I caught a glimps of something out of the corner of my eye. Over the center lawn a red-tailed hawk was flying low. I could not tell at first where he was going for the sky behind him and my distance made judging his direction a bit tricky. Gracefully he crossed over the far corner of the South Lawn, raised up a bit and landed in a pine tree above the stone wall.  Hawks are quite common in the park. A pair of them spend time hunting from the tree over my shade garden. I tried many times to get close enough to get a photo but they always take flight before I can get close.This hawk was different.

I crossed the lawn, crept up the stairs made a wide arch around the pavilion lawn so not to get too close to the tree on which he was perched and slowly, ever so slowly, walked closer and closer. He just sat there, cleaning his feathers, surveying the pavilion lawn and looking down at me. After taking a few photos I lowered the camera and just watched him as he watched me. Maybe because I was the only person around he felt calm. Maybe he had just feasted and was content resting. Of course, I have no way of knowing. I just know it was amazing watching him as he watched me that early morning at the park.