hawks

Well, if there were any doubt that spring is approaching (as if the budding trees, seasonal allergies, or crocus buds poking their heads out of the ground were not enough), I have another item to add to your list: hawks.

Every spring baby chicks make their appearance, and every spring we begin to see hawks or encounter hawk attacks. Last spring we lost three "teenagers" out of 4 to a hawk. The "teens" we hatched this winter were past (or so I assumed) the size the hawks preferred, so we were a bit startled to see the hen dead on the ground yesterday evening. She was probably one of the prettiest hens we've got, and I was a bit baffled. There were no signs of eating. Hawks usually pick up and carry (their version of take out), or kill and eat on the ground (which unfortunately has been our most common experience). This bird was simply dead. I didn't have the heart/time/energy to deal with her last night, and by the time we got home this afternoon there were not one but TWO hawks in the yard enjoying her. :(  So I'm more than a little concerned for the four biddies we have in the house. Even though they will be fully feathered when I put them outside the end of this month, the only way I can truly protect them is to leave them locked up all the time, and that's not fair to them.

The crazy thing was that Bobby came out as I aimed for one of the hawks, and a different hawk from a different tree flew away. It was HUGE. I didn't even know that one was there. As much as I hate the carnage and destruction they cause, they truly are beautiful birds.  Only after I lowered my rifle did the hawk I was aiming for fly away. Yeah. I truly need to work on my aim.

Meanwhile my little fuzzies have feathers on their wing tips and two are starting to get tail feathers. They won't be fuzzy too much longer! Spring is coming!