Hunting | Inspired By Venice

For years now, there has been an elusive winged creature out back. I’d thought I’d seen a large hawk dozens of times, but it was so fast that I could never get a really good look…

It’s not like when one flies across an open country road and perches for all to see on top of a telephone post. Our backyard abuts a dozen other backyards, all wooded, gardened and spectacularly green, so a bird, even a large one, can stay camouflaged…

Earlier this summer, I’d gotten a pretty good look at it swooping over the alleyway between houses. And then last week, I was witness to it swooping down to try to snag a squirrel off a tree. No lie. The squirrel was a bit too big and skittish for the hawk to grab, but it was a gutsy attempt and certainly left my eyes round with surprise! The squirrel proceeded to squall in shock for about half an hour, (to the displeasure of my sensitive ears), an acorn still clutched in its mouth, completely unharmed but scared out of its wits…

So, I’m making coffee this morning and looking out into the sunny backyard. I see something! Is it what I think it is? Is it the bird! I tear off up the stairs faster than Tiddo the cat on one of his running rampages, snatch up my camera and fly over to my bedroom window. First time I really saw it as not just a flash of wings, but as a sedentary creature! And let me tell you, it’s a big one. Larger than I thought. He (or she) is living off of chipmunk, bird, bunny and squirrel meat. These backyards are no slim pickings for this fierce hunter…

Can anyone take a guess at what I’ve got? Perusing the pages of my North American bird book, it looks like it might be a Cooper’s Hawk, but I’d love your input! I’ve definitely been hearing a hawk’s strong kak-kak-kaking call all summer long. (You can listen to a voice recording of a Cooper’s Hawk on its wikipedia page here). Cooper’s Hawks are uncommon, live in wooded areas, and are newly removed from the Illinois endangered species list!

This morning, I heard Tiddo the cat having a conversation in the bedroom. It isn’t uncommon that he meows to himself or sits and meows to me (for three hours straight), but just now it seemed he was talking to someone even though he was alone. I walked into the room to investigate, as it was ongoing. And this is why you need to keep your camera close…

Tiddo and a White-Throated Sparrow having a little chat at the window. The moment was endearing, though let’s be clear, Tiddo would have eaten the bird if there wasn’t a screen. He was just pretending to be nice to lure the unsuspecting birdie closer. They were talking about the nice weather.

I’ve seen my cat in action, like the field mouse he cornered into my boyfriend’s shoe last month. And here below is the mouse that Tiddo brought to me in bed at two in the morning last winter. He dropped it into the bed next to me and meowed like crazy until I scolded him to go away. It was dark, and now awake, I got up to go to the bathroom. As I did, something fell from the bed next to me onto the floor and my toes touched it as I put my feet down. Tiddo wanted me to be proud of his catch, so I turned on the lights and made a big deal of praising him. I don’t condone killing any creature in my heart, but once Tiddo’s deed was done (something that is his nature and for which it was clear he wanted to share with me), what can I do?

After I praised him, I promptly threw the dead mouse in the waste bin. In the wee hours of the morning, I heard that trash can tip over…Tiddo found his mouse and got it out of the trash. I guess he couldn’t understand why I’d waste a perfectly good and delicious mousie.