Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Hawks and Shadows

As I was considering what to write about for Killer Hobbies this week, some big birds told me what to do. 

I was looking out the back windows of my home that overlook the San Fernando Valley.  It was a bright and sunny day--sunny enough that my younger Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Mystie’s tail was wagging constantly.  She loves sunny spots and shadows and will watch them for hours.

This time, as I stared out the window, I saw a large bird’s shadow move across the branches and leaves of nearby trees, but I didn’t see the bird.  The same thing happened again only a minute or so later.  Same bird?  Maybe, if it was flying in circles.  It must have been flying over my house, with the sun shining at an angle that cast the shadow visibly, even though I never did see the actual bird.

I found the sight, and illusion, fascinating.  I’ve also been watching some interesting interplay between birds out the same windows this week.  There are two hawks, presumably a male and female, who perch on the tops of nearby power poles and tree branches, not together but sometimes facing one another.  They appear calm and in charge and utterly uncompromising.  This is important because, as they remain there so serenely, crows have been buzz-bombing them.  The crows circle and zoom in, sometimes as a flock, sometimes individually, as if they’re insisting that the hawks leave, that this is their territory.  The hawks ignore them as if they weren’t even there, let alone attacking them.  

I’ve been studying the birds and their actions, wondering how I could incorporate them into a story.  I’m not writing about birds, at least not currently, but I could certainly analogize their personalities and interactions into differences in humans.

The hawks are like people who know who they are and what they want.  Who have goals (like finding the right rodent to sweep down on and eat?) and will let nothing stand in their way to achieving them. 

The crows are... say, I just realized they’re like the media.   Paparazzi!  They’ll fly and flutter to divert attention, to get a story by creating their own.  By attacking, at least figuratively when it comes to humans, those who are secure in themselves and who don’t want to be bothered.

Then there was the determined and diligent hummingbird I also saw yesterday taking its nectar from some flowers on a bush outside a local post office today.  Hovering and intriguing, a hard worker but lovely and fun to watch.

Do you ever analogize the actions of other animals to those of humans?  Heck, I do it all the time with my dogs... and now I’m doing it with birds, too!

10 comments:

Janie Emaus said...

i love watching birds. Now I may look at them a little differently.

Linda O. Johnston said...

There are times I wish I could fly along with them, Janie. Maybe I can make my characters soar!

Kajira said...

That was a fascinating post!

BTW...my 17-year-old rescued Maltese, Mac, recently passed away, but I still love to read about the breed (and about rescued pets--hence your series!).
After the poodle book, have you considered a Maltese mystery? "Multiple Malteses", perhaps?

Linda O. Johnston said...

I'm so sorry to hear of your loss, Kajira. Thanks for the suggestion. My next Pet Rescue Mystery(no title yet) has a lot of small dogs in it--included Malteses! It's tentatively scheduled for January 2014.

Betty Hechtman said...

I love watching how hawks ride on the wind seeing all that is below them. Once we were sitting outside at the Tarzana Starbucks and a whole flock of hawks flew overhead. Is flock even the right word since hawks seem to mostly fly alone or in twos? I think they were all headed for the Sepulveda basin and it seemed like they were having a convention.

Linda O. Johnston said...

What a magnificent sight those hawks must have been, Betty. Maybe they were having a conclave on how to ignore the crows!

Chrystle Fiedler said...

I like to watch the birds in my backyard too. Last week two birds were perched on the cross of a neighborhood church. I'd never seen that before! Since I live by the water we have lots of seagulls here. One day one showed up with a hurt foot so I made sure to put out food just for him. He's better now. Now that it's so cold I bought some sunflower seeds for quick energy! I'll see if they appeal to the crowd in the AM!

Linda O. Johnston said...

That's wonderful of you, Chrystle, to help the poor, ailing seagull. We're probably 30-40 miles from the ocean, so I'm always surprised to see seagulls flying in our area.

Monica Ferris said...

I think almost all humans anthropomorphize other animals - even things like trees, rocks, and stuffed animals. I know I attribute human emotions to our cats - but then scientists are learning that they are more aware than they gave them credit for in past centuries. I've watched crows "mob" owls and hawks. People who shoot crows for sport will often set up a fake owl to draw them.

Linda O. Johnston said...

I definitely anthropomorphize with my dogs, Monica. They're my kids, since my human ones have left home. I've occasionally seen one crow dive at one hawk, but this latest "mobbing" by so many crows and two hawks was quite a spectacle.