October: Another tale from the land

The recent weather could be described as dreary at best. Thick clouds have shrouded the sky, only allowing dim peeks of sunshine to come through periodically before giving way to a thick mist of rain. Calling it rain is also generous; it was more like water droplets suspended in the dense humid air, only broken by a breeze that contained just enough chill to let your bones know the seasons have changed. To put it short – perfect fall weather. 

In October I transition from grass cutting to brush mowing. There are few pleasures in life more simple and pure than reclaiming land that has been left to go wild over the spring and summer. Now I know how people of old felt clearing a patch of untamed earth to launch a homestead, though I’m glad to have tractors and self-propelled mowers to make my life easier. 

There is a local red-tailed hawk that relishes my land clearing just as much as I do. When the mowers are fired up, the raptor appears as if by magic. Wherever I happen to be, the bird of prey will be perched in a tree limb above. The hawk, of course, is looking for an easy meal as the noise of the machines and mulched up debris left in its wake is always bound to stir up a critter of some kind. 

Over the years I’ve seen this hawk snatch up rats, rabbits and snakes. Sometimes I catch the whole show, seeing the bird swoop from its perch in time to watch it grab its prey with sharp talons. It once dove in close enough to hit the brim of my hat and knock the covering from my head. Most of the time, though, I only see it in my peripheral vision, dive-bombing the grass and brush seeking a morsel of nourishment. 

I like to think I’ve developed a bond with this wild animal, that it has come to rely on me for part of its existence. I certainly thank it for eliminating snakes and rats for me. Some years ago I talked with an experienced falconer who explained the delicate balance that is the relationship between bird and man. This raptor enthusiast had several birds he used for hunting, but his primary companion was a red-tailed hawk. It boils down to weight control. Feed a bird enough to keep it healthy, but keep it hungry enough to make it believe it needs you. 

So basically, since birds used in falconry are taken from the wild, give it Stockholm syndrome. 

A predatory animal cannot be tamed and is always looking for its next meal, so a fat bird with a full stomach will fly away at first chance. The practice of responsible falconers, I was told, is to release the birds after a year or two, preferably in better condition than when they were caught. 

I have no intentions of taking up falconry, but I have a lot more brush to cut, so maybe my hawk will stick around.