Watching Nature

In the Southwest desert trees grow alongside streams or where people plant and water them - rarely elsewhere. Here we are accustomed to endless views, generally as far as the next high mountain range.

Accordingly, it is fun to sit on the back patio and watch nature.

The other afternoon, we watched a hawk soaring over the landscape - rarely moving a wing - just gliding on thermals. His presence, while enjoyed by my wife and I, became very troubling to a neighborhood mockingbird. This smaller bird decided it was time to harass the hawk and, perhaps, persuade it to hunt elsewhere.

Repeatedly diving at the hawk, the mockingbird caused the hawk to react, but could not succeed in driving the large predator away. Instead, the hawk just circled and flew back toward us.

Finally, the mockingbird decided to increase the pressure. It dived so close to the hawk it appeared it was actually pecking the hawk on the head. On the next attack, it appeared to actually make contact with the hawks left wing. That was its mistake.

What happened was too quick for the eye to follow. All we saw was the mockingbird dive into the hawk's wing, then suddenly tumble to the ground. Somehow the hawk had delivered a knockout blow.

Birds, with their hollow bones and fluffy feathers, are lightweight. Perhaps the mockingbird survived the crash. Perhaps it landed on a creosote bush. We could not tell.

My wife was saddened, observing that the mockingbird was only trying to protect its nest from a perceived danger.

We were reminded that nature rarely plays favorites... just or unjust, if you make a mistake you'll pay.