Hawk Eye

There is a reason a street (well, okay, a dirt road) around the corner is named "Hawk Haven."  A number of red-tail hawks live and work in this area.  One in particular has a very short commute.  He nests in nearby pines and only has to cross the road to hunt.  My property is a veritable food bank of ground squirrels and mice.  Given the rate at which these little critters multiply, it is a sustainable resource.  Hawk spends a good portion of the day sitting on the power pole at the corner of the goat pen, sometimes getting a different angle from the pole at the edge of the driveway.  When the wind was so strong the other day, he had to cling to the wire to keep from getting blown away but he was still on the clock and stayed on duty.  The squirrels do post guards, but because Hawk is there daily I think they become complacent.  He is pretty darned clever.  In the morning, he swoops down from the west, reversing in the afternoon, always facing the sun so that his shadow does not precede and send a warning to a potential victim.  Even so, he doesn't seem to have a particularly high success ratio.  Either that, or he takes his meal home to eat in private.  Every so once in awhile, I do see him having a snack up on top of the pole.  Like a football game in which I like both teams, I can root for either side here.  "Ha!  Dodged the bullet that time, squirrel," or "Good on ya, mate!" when the hawk gets a hit.

There are also roads in the area named Foxtail, Gopher Hole, Anthill, and Moody, none of which appeal.  However, just off Bucks Bar Road is the Minibar Trail.  That has possibilities.