My not so hidden life, continued

I was right, the tree trimming guys were out there. It was quite amazing to watch them as they went about their business. There was the owner of the company, who is not as young, light and agile as he used to be, so he no longer climbs trees. He has minion for that, and the minion is extremely good at his job. He climbs the trees with tree spikes and a safety harness, he keeps himself belayed from a sturdy branch nearby so if he falls he only swings out a few feet over space. He never fell that I saw, although there were a couple of times he purposely let go of the tree and swung out over the empty space below, for no other purpose than it was fun.

Mike was completely freaked out by seeing a PERSON up in the top of a TREE — it was just All Wrong. I wish I had a video of him as he peered up and out of the windows at what was evidently our own personal version of “Nighmare on Elm Street.” Eventually, he could not even stay in the house to watch this horror, he had leave the premises completely and made an undignified and precipitous exit over the fence. He did not come back until their truck had left the driveway.

The cat was not the only denizen of the yard that thought all this trimming was extraneous. I was out by my clothesline taking in my laundry after the trimmers had left for the day. Suddenly, the female Cooper’s hawk stooped on my position from high above me. I had no warning, just the sound of the wind whistling over her wings accompanied by a faint rattle caused by her primary flight feathers in the wind of her descent. When she reached the height of my head, she arrested her stoop, a move that was accompanied by a sharp snap as she spread her wings. I felt the wind of her wings on my cheek as she soared the short distance to the fallen scotch pine.

She lit there momentarily, pausing only long enough to turn and glare at me fiercely. It was obvious that she knew exactly who was responsible for all the disturbance in the yard. Then she ruffled her feathers and flew up to inspect the large yellow pines that the arborists had just attended to. The broken branches had been removed, the leader trimmed of its shattered top. She looked the trees over, cast another disapproving glance in my direction and flew off over the line of trees that make the north border of the property. She landed in an oak back there, probably hoping that the finches and sparrows would forget she had been there so she could grab a meal.

All I could think was that I was very glad that she was not aiming for my head when she descended in her stoop. I believe having my hair snatched out by an angry hawk would not have been particularly pleasant. As it was, the near presence of her foray was magical and impressive.

Later in the afternoon, the migrators arrived. Every tree all around the place, and the power lines were occupied by the mixed flock of redwinged blackbirds and grackles that arrived just before the sun began to set. They gather in the trees around here, and then at dusk dive into the cedar woods that is down by the pond to sleep for the night.

There was a female bluebird inspecting the nest box by the orchard this afternoon. I got my peas and spring lettuces planted today too. So I guess it must be officially spring.