Protective Coopers Hawk and Western Grebe 6/20/12

On the way home today I decided to stop by the cattail pond even though my bins were at home. Tiny reddish dragonflies zipped about the surface of the water like modern day fairies, and a Yellow Warbler fluttered in front of me like the tip of a cartoonists paintbrush ready to color it's beauty on the watery canvas.  The Eucalyptus was shedding it's papery bark, and many strips bore the neatly spaced rows of  Red-naped Sapsucker holes from the previous winter.  A collared lizard scrambled up the trunk of a cottonwood, it's smooth muddy green skin distinguishing it from the spiny lizards in the area.   This strange large lizard is an unusual sight compared to our other varied neighborhood lizard species.
As I walked back a Great Blue Heron's wide circular prints appeared like sand dollars against the thin top layer of loose dirt covering the hard caliche just below.   The heron watched from the opposite bank, it's wings drooped so low they seemed disconnected, in a vain attempted to cool down from the 105 degree ambient temperature.  I  rode home and took Kino to the big lake, hoping for another look at a Western Grebe which has been visiting since the first weekend in June.  This is only the 2nd occurrence of this bird in our neighborhood, the first being a one day wonder 12 years ago. 

Wow!  Unfortunately last Sunday was the last time I saw it, leaving my only some mediocre photograph and some video as a remembrance of this unique experience.

Dusk began to blanket the scene as we walked back toward home.   I felt, then saw the watchful eye of an overly protective Cooper's Hawk from the low branches of a nearby Eucalyptus.   This hawk has a nest close to the walking path, and has been buzzing passers by, especially males, it seems.   He even buzzed Kino a couple times, and I had to put myself cringingly in the path of wrath, hoping it would veer off before impact.   While we have not had a physical encounter yet, a few times I would turn around and see it just a few feet away from my head gliding at a quick clip, then turning for a second swipe.  It has really given me a great respect for the hunting prowess of this medium-sized accipiter.   It reminded me of a distant memory of a Northern Goshawk chasing me from its nesting area.   I broke my pack when I hit the dirt, but it continued to lead me out of the forest with persistence, diving down periodically in punishing manner.  After what seemed like 200 yards he let up.   Unfortunately the trail away took a turn back toward the nest, and the harassment came back at full and angry force, with vocal intimidation as well.  The memory of that charge is still quite vivid in my mind, and, though fearful, was one of the times I felt truly alive and awake.  Here is a quick Blair Witch type video of the Cooper's hawk attack.  If you blink you may miss it. 

As we walked slowly toward home darkness settled in, and a group of about twenty small bats were in a pocket ahead.   As we traveled through they fluttered about us like moths to a light, and I could even feel the heat from their bodies.  A large dragonfly was in their midst, and seemed to hover around us as well, perhaps even using us as screens against the bats sonar detection capabilities.