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common_natureI was hanging out at the reservoir, yesterday; I'd had a bunch of dogs be enthusiastic in the meadow nearby, and enjoyed their playing with each other. After they'd all gone home, I'd gone down to the dam, and come back over to the western shore, which has, near the dam, a little causeway sort of thing, with grassy shore next to a tangle of brambles that the dogs enjoy investigating for rabbits.
And, lo, there was a rabbit.
I said "Oh," and it receded back into the brush, so I went over to the side of the reservoir and sat on rocks and ignored that area for a bit, and the rabbit, who is quite used to people in the area, eventually sidled back onto the grass. (This is one of many reasons why I like spring, it makes waiting for birds and animals to calm down about one's presence a less cold activity.) I waited a bit until s/he was slightly more into the sunlight to take more pictures of hir, because I wanted that translucent ear thing. Which, I got.
The rabbit kept grazing, joined by a remarkably large sparrow. I was subsumed in peaceful fellow feeling. Ah, said I, a perfect spring afternoon.
(This picture is not very good, but it's the best I have of the sparrow.)
I was taking a moment to give the rabbit a break from my gaze to look over at the seagulls on the reservoir, when I heard something over rabbitwards, so I looked over and this big huge *hawk* was right *there* and my brain was like, "Waugh!" even though I knew perfectly well the hawk's not going to do anything to *me*. So me and my slightly overwhelmed brain took an absolutely horrible picture of hawk. Mostly hawk legs, really.
Then I got another, better one of hawk, exiting, stage right. It winged its way, quite speedily, across the reservoir and out of sight.
I wasn't sure if the hawk (who I'm pretty sure is a red shouldered hawk) was leaving so quickly because it had or hadn't gotten the rabbit. If it hadn't, the rabbit had, of course, cleared the scene anyway, so I had no way of telling. Usually, I'm all sanguine about predators and don't care that much one way or the other, except sometimes when it's just plain cool, but because I had had this moment of fellow feeling, I was rooting for the rabbit (or the sparrow) to have gotten away. I couldn't really tell on my camera-screen, so I only really found out once I got home and checked on the computer. As you can see from the lack of evident animal in the hawk's grasp, the rabbit (or sparrow) does seem to have gotten away.
(Hopefully, the hawk got something to eat over on the other side of the reservoir, later.)
And then today, I met a bunch of threatening noodles. Er, garter snakes.
There were four of them at one point, and they kept *trying* to look intimidating but, well, no.
And, lo, there was a rabbit.
I said "Oh," and it receded back into the brush, so I went over to the side of the reservoir and sat on rocks and ignored that area for a bit, and the rabbit, who is quite used to people in the area, eventually sidled back onto the grass. (This is one of many reasons why I like spring, it makes waiting for birds and animals to calm down about one's presence a less cold activity.) I waited a bit until s/he was slightly more into the sunlight to take more pictures of hir, because I wanted that translucent ear thing. Which, I got.
The rabbit kept grazing, joined by a remarkably large sparrow. I was subsumed in peaceful fellow feeling. Ah, said I, a perfect spring afternoon.
(This picture is not very good, but it's the best I have of the sparrow.)
I was taking a moment to give the rabbit a break from my gaze to look over at the seagulls on the reservoir, when I heard something over rabbitwards, so I looked over and this big huge *hawk* was right *there* and my brain was like, "Waugh!" even though I knew perfectly well the hawk's not going to do anything to *me*. So me and my slightly overwhelmed brain took an absolutely horrible picture of hawk. Mostly hawk legs, really.
Then I got another, better one of hawk, exiting, stage right. It winged its way, quite speedily, across the reservoir and out of sight.
I wasn't sure if the hawk (who I'm pretty sure is a red shouldered hawk) was leaving so quickly because it had or hadn't gotten the rabbit. If it hadn't, the rabbit had, of course, cleared the scene anyway, so I had no way of telling. Usually, I'm all sanguine about predators and don't care that much one way or the other, except sometimes when it's just plain cool, but because I had had this moment of fellow feeling, I was rooting for the rabbit (or the sparrow) to have gotten away. I couldn't really tell on my camera-screen, so I only really found out once I got home and checked on the computer. As you can see from the lack of evident animal in the hawk's grasp, the rabbit (or sparrow) does seem to have gotten away.
(Hopefully, the hawk got something to eat over on the other side of the reservoir, later.)
And then today, I met a bunch of threatening noodles. Er, garter snakes.
There were four of them at one point, and they kept *trying* to look intimidating but, well, no.
