Hawk

When we moved to Hope Valley in 2002 one of the first things we noticed was the abundance of wildlife. rabbits and snakes, foxes and coyotes, hawks and herons and tons of other birds. And, of course, frogs. We only saw a couple of hawks at first, one, two or three circling above our neighborhood. The family has increased over the years and now there are at least seven hawks. They will circle over a spot, using their incredibly sharp eyesight to spot prey. If they don't find anything, they will circle again in a nearby area. I have seen them work for hours before finding something to eat. Usually, small rodents like field mice which are in the huge open field behind the house. I took this picture the other day and it is from a fair distance away. But, I have seen the bird circle only a few dozen feet above my head, heard the whoosh of the air as their wings keep them aloft and once, with my head down while weeding, was startled by a huge shadow as a hawk swooped right over my head.