The Hawk!

We have a hawk that frequents the neighborhood. He's been seen soaring fairly low overhead in lazy, slow loops. He also seems to like the next door neighbor's roofline. He'll perch up there, sometimes, surveying, it seems. It always excites me to see him around. He's so graceful and powerful.

Today, I glanced out the kitchen window and saw him sitting, not on the roofline, but the neighbor's deck railing! I laughed aloud, since he was right in front of the dining room window where her cat loves to sit, looking out. I said to Hubby, "Not sure who'd be more surprised, the hawk or Bailey [the cat]." I backed slowly into my dining room to grab my camera, murmuring the whole way, "please don't move, please don't move, please don't move...."

And he didn't. He sat right there and waited for me to snap off a couple shots, alas with the wide angle, not the zoom. Then, to my amazement, he flew right over to MY railing, right outside my kitchen window, so I got my own close up view of his gorgeousness!! What a beauty!!!

I snapped off a couple more, but my camera focused on the plants on my windowsill rather that the majestic bird outside the window. Dang it.

But, I got a good enough look to feel comfortable in identifying him as a Marsh Hawk, or Northern Harrier.

He is a beauty! And I feel so blessed by his visit. Now, does anyone know what that's an omen for???