The Sea Meets The Sunset

Posted on October 1, 2015 by Chronicles of a Blogaholic

“And indeed, a horse who bears himself proudly is a thing of such beauty
and astonishment that he attracts the eyes of all beholders.
No one will tire of looking at him as long as
he will display himself in his splendor.”
Xenophon

We rode for hours. Riding through the wild oat fields with oats as tall as the hocks of our horses legs. The smell of the wild oats and lavender lingering in the air as we rode.

We rode through the eucalyptus woods so thick with trees, they covered the trail to the sky. The strong minty, pine, honey scent of eucalyptus lingered as we left the woods.

We rode as the sun began to set. The salty air of the sea drawing us near to the sea, wading through the low tide where the sea meets the sunset.

Shine On

Our Red-Tailed Hawk

Posted on July 12, 2015 by Chronicles of a Blogaholic

“A red-tailed hawk rose high on an air current,
calling out shrill, sequential rasps of raptor joy.”
Barbara Kingsolver
Red Tail Hawk

For the past few weeks I’ve experienced an unusual bird sighting here by the ocean. Unusual because seeing one of these birds by the ocean is rare. I would see red-tailed hawks daily on my trail rides with my horse Jimmy, but never at the beach.

I mentioned my sighting to my husband and he thought that a red-tailed hawk was not likely to be at the beach. I agreed with him, but I also told him that we haven’t seen one pigeon on our patio lately and that these hawks hunted the pigeons at the barn. My husband hates the pigeons, so he was hoping I was right.

After days of watching our new neighbor, the red-tailed hawk, I was able to get some video and still images of him perched on the light post outside our patio. My husband was pleasantly surprised to see the images and extremely glad that the hawk was hunting our pesky neighborhood pigeons.

The hawk usually comes by everyday around 5 or 6 in the evening. Magnificent to watch as he catches the ocean breeze and hovers without flapping, eyes fixed on the ground over the beach waiting to spring on any unlikely prey. I spring into action to capture images of him hovering in front of our patio.

The other thing I noticed since the hawk arrived in our neighborhood is that the Great Horned Owl that I would hear in the evening can no longer be heard. Red-Tailed Hawks are extremely territorial and will often chase away Great Horned Owls.

If you follow my blog you might remember my post about the owl on our roof, Hooting in the House. That post was about our new unusual neighbor the owl. Now we have a new and more powerful neighbor to keep our eyes on, our red-tailed hawk.

Shine On

Wise as an Owl

Posted on February 5, 2015 by Chronicles of a Blogaholic

“A wise old owl sat on an oak;
The more he saw, the less he spoke;
The less he spoke, the more he heard;
Why can’t we all be like that wise old bird?”
Author Unknown

My half century old collection of feathers.

Collecting bird feathers is a hobby that has been with me since my pre-teens. These feathers are placed gingerly in my antique hand-woven American Indian basket, and are treasured keepsakes. Gathered throughout my years of horseback riding and hiking, each feather is treasured for not only its beauty but for how it once adorned each and every bird.

The variety of feathers ranges from birds such as my pet Cockatiel Max, to majestic peacock feathers. Among the dozens of feathers in my basket, the most cherished feather is from a Great Horned Owl. This large flight feather is rich brown in color with tan highlights. The soft, comb-like feather enables the Great Horned Owl to fly silently while hunting its prey. Though this feather may appear dull in comparison to my peacock feathers, it’s the fact it’s from an owl and the owl character I cherish.

The Great Horned Owl

We’ve all heard the saying, “wise as an owl”. The saying as well as his reputation goes back as far as Native American and Greek mythology. Maybe the owl got his well-known reputation because of his most famous feature. Those large golden eyes framed in black, as though he is wearing eyeglasses, and his stern stare gives one the idea of a wise old bird. There’s much more to this bird than meets the eye.

This cryptically colored stealth bomber of the night has proven his smarts and wisdom through his hunting technique of first listening, looking, and only then reacting to what he has learned. Unlike his only predator, man, he listens, looks and learns. This technique has allowed the owl to survive for centuries and proves how smart he really is compared to man.

Listening – Looking – Learning. A concept most humans cannot afford to ignore. The owl is wiser than we ever believed possible. Maybe, just maybe, if man would follow this wise old birds listening, looking, and learning technique, man could be as wise as an owl.

Shine On