The Hawk and the Rabbit

     This is a little story of a three-minute encounter that just took place on my back patio after I took out the recycling. I was nearing the back door and heard a high-pitched, three-note little squawking sound. Turned around to see a charcoal grey hawk of some sort in a wing-flapping landing position above the right end of my youngest's bike handle, which was leaned against the metal patio table near the shed. (It's supposed to be in the shed when she's done with it.) The hawk was in prime position to view the girls' young Himalayan rabbit, Mica, in his hutch. 
     Mica, on the other hand, was obliviously munching away on a leaf from a bedraggled Brussels sprout plant I'd just fed to him on my way past the garden.
     Monsier hawk (or mademoiselle, I do not claim to know) lingered on the bike handle, cocking its head in jerky little ways. I gauged its size as it perched there -- probably 13 or 14  inches in length, with a beautifully striped black and grey tail and flat-ish head. I wondered if its talons would make little rips in the spongey handle bar cover...

Photo by Jeff Anderson, 
Espaniola, New Mexico


      Next on le hawk's agenda was to investigate something in the pile of dry leaves behind middle daughter's crispy, cold corn stalks against the base of the 6-foot fence. Then up on the edge of the fence, facing little Mica, who continued in his devoted pursuit of consuming the last of the garden leaf.

Back to the leaf pile when le hawk, then up to the fence again. A quick swoop over the fire pit to land on the picnic table for a moment. A few more little head-twitches and off it went to the neighbor's aspen tree at the front of their house.
     Mica, be glad your visitor seemed to know that wire fencing was not worth fussing at. 
     You never know who's going to stop in to pay a visit.