I went into the woods to think through a problem. What was the problem? I’ll get to that in a minute.

The woods were gloomy and cold. The way I like them. No bugs, bare trees. Quiet. Other hikers are my kind of people. But it’s better in here without them.

There’s a damp smell of rotting leaves. The sky is gray, low and unfriendly. I have a buddy who gets happy when the sun shines. This isn’t his kind of day.

The woods mean serious business. They’re unconcerned with my presence or problems. If I keeled over, they’d just go to work on the new ground litter. This thought is interrupted by sudden movement…

A big hawk swoops across a clearing on my left, low to the ground, then arcs upward and lands on a branch. I get a good look. It glares back.

I said, “Who ya starin’ at.” I knew this bird. It had white on the small of its back. A bright and sizable patch. If this hawk were a girl it would have a curly tattoo there.

The hawk doesn’t smile at this thought. It’s pissed that I’m in these woods on a day when people don’t visit. Screw that. I’m here. And I know its name.

It’s a Northern Harrier, but I call it a Marsh Hawk. That’s what it was called when I was a kid. Bird namers—a sore point with me—changed this sensible name to the archaic “harrier.”

It blinks, turns in disdain and flies off without a sound.

I see a few other birds in the woods. If this were a movie they’d be extras. Little drab winter extras. Juncos and a Brown Creeper. A shy Downy Woodpecker. A flock of cold Robins wondering why they didn’t go south.

But it was the hawk’s movie.

I head to my car, leaving the murky forest on a day when nobody else wants to be there. I vaguely remember planning to think through a problem. What was it? Doesn’t matter any more. Couldn’t have been that important.

It’s a great day. I’m going home to watch football and have a few beers. I saw a Marsh Hawk. Also known as a Northern Harrier. We glowered at each other. No problem.

This entry was posted on Monday, November 22nd, 2010 at 1:48 pm and is filed under "Daily Sightings" A Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.