December 1, 2007

New York versus Madison.

In New York, we've got this glorious sunset skyline:

DSC06661.JPG

But in Madison, I've got my own hawk on a telephone pole:

DSC06658.JPG

24 comments:

George M. Spencer said...

Professor, you're the hawk on the telephone pole.

John said...

We would see rabbits in our back yard every once in a while. Then a few weeks ago an enormous hawk showed up. When it left, my yard looked like an abbatoir. I was finding bunny parts for days afterwards.

Ron said...

That hawk is pretty cool...what, no doves in Madison?

Meade said...

I think you should have George arrested for that hawk remark.

Ann Althouse said...

Arrested? I was going to put that quote in the banner!

Ruth Anne Adams said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Trooper York said...

“You are the Ocean of Water, and I am Your fish. Your Name is the drop of water, and I am a thirsty sparrow-hawk.”
Sri Guru Granth Sahib

ricpic said...

Big city or not so big
It's a rum go to be a pigeon;
From tower or tree, with precision,
The almighty hawk beads your rig.

Trooper York said...

"The sparrow-hawk loves the rainwater, falling in torrents; the king loves to see his wealth on display.”
Sri Guru Granth Sahib

ricpic said...

Make that: From tower or pole...

Perfesser, you've got to work out a system where your photos show while I'm composing in post a comment. You're putting an intolerable strain on my power of recall. ;^)

joewxman said...

Ann take a ride on any of the parkways on Long Island and you will see plenty of hawks eagles and even the occasional osprey hanging out on the street lights.

Ron said...

"You are the sun,
I am the moon,
You are the words,
I am the tune,
Play me."

Neil Diamond

JohnAnnArbor said...

Reminds me of a good Far Side: "Birds of prey know they're cool."

(Picture of 3 hawks in sunglasses, one listening to a WalkMan.)

Clang!Honk!Tweet! said...

ricpc:  If you're using Firefox, you can install the ScribeFire extension. You can compose comments or blog posts in a pull-up window below whatever page you want to view.  You can indeed look at the cool hawk picture while writing your poem.

It's not perfect, but it works well enough both for Mac and PC.

rhhardin said...

Seven Hawk-chickens in Ohio yestrday.

Whenever a hawk appears in the sky, they disappear into the woods.

They go everywhere together with a single mind.

Cats leave them alone, I have learned.

rhhardin said...

"Nature! Nature!" I cried out, sobbing, "The sparrow-hawk rends the sparrow, the fig eats the donkey, and the tapeworm devours man!"

-- Lautreamont

Revenant said...

Cool hawk.

Unknown said...

There are hawks in Brooklyn Heights. You just have to look for them. I see one every day outside from my office window.

Bob said...

Looks like a Red-Tailed Hawk. Country folk used to call them Chicken Hawks. Doesn't look much like the little guy from Looney Toons, does he? He's puffed his feathers out to keep warm in the cold weather.

Often times in movies, the call of the Red-Tailed or Red-Shouldered Hawk is dubbed in when a Bald Eagle is seen, because frankly our National Bird's own call is a Hillary Clinton-style cackle.

*grins*

AllenS said...

A couple of years ago, I had a pair of red-tailed hawks nest in the back of my woods. They had one chick, and then had another. The second one was a lot smaller and a week or two later, disappeared. A couple of weeks ago, during deer season a Kestrol Hawk landed about 20 feet from me and after about 10 minutes took off and nailed a small bird. It flew back to the branch, plucked it and then ate it. Life is tough in the bird world.

Ann Althouse said...

"There are hawks in Brooklyn Heights."

You don't understand. That's my personal hawk.

Chip Ahoy said...

All that black scary-looking stuff attached to the wire at the pole is fascinating. It looks like an incomprehensible Borg prothesis and it could kill you, just hanging out there up in the air exposed. It's art. It looks like it enhances the hawk's power, sitting that close to danger. But the eye goes straight to the thing that's alive. Great picture.

George M. Spencer said...

I saw a hawk swoop across a front yard. It came like a scythe, sharp and clean. Silent, it took a squirrel by the back of its neck.

The squirrel thrashed. Fought for its life. Imagine something's claws sunk between your shoulders. You would struggle, too.

It was beautiful--the process. I didn't feel ashamed watching it. I felt lucky. It was as though what was happening was holy. All in my suburb.

Then he let go and ascended.

Cars coming in both directions barely missed him. They didn't slow down.

He just lifted, rose.

Original Mike said...

You don't understand. That's my personal hawk.

You may have to share him, Ann. I live not too far from you and I see hawks all the time in the neighborhood. They come and go, but there's been one around a lot lately.

John Z. said: "We would see rabbits in our back yard every once in a while. Then a few weeks ago an enormous hawk showed up. When it left, my yard looked like an abbatoir. I was finding bunny parts for days afterwards.'

Good riddance, I say. Pesky wabbits.

I was sitting in my bedroom one afternoon when a hawk swooped into the back yard. Next, a loud bang as a dove bashes into the window, apparently trying to flee the hawk. He dropped to the ground below the window. The hawk comes over, grabs him, and carries him away.