Ruffled Feathers

Part 5 of the Hawky New Year! series features one adult and some first-year red-tailed hawks visiting Central Park on Jan. 16 and 17. Jan. 17 was a rainy day, and one of the young hawks, after chasing some squirrels, ended up wet with feathers sticking out.

A young red-tailed hawk in the Ramble, Jan. 17, 2017

The video for these two days features hawks flying around and chasing squirrels, but no graphic hawk dining. So a violence-free Part 5.

The light wasn't great on either day, but I did manage to get some nice photos of our fearless feathered friends. This first grouping is from Jan. 16. Hawk No. 1 was over Strawberry Fields when I first walked into the park, an adult showing the red tail. It was probably Ginger, of the Beresford Hawks.

These photos are from Jan. 17, including a photo showing two youngsters at the Oven.

A Hawky Lunch at Bow Bridge

Part 4 of the Hawky New Year! video series shows us a first-year red-tailed hawk after catching a pigeon at the base of Bow Bridge in Central Park on Jan. 15. The hawk spent two hours with the prey, first standing on it and watching the spectators watching him, then plucking out all the feathers and having lunch. The video is pretty graphic, but interesting in that it covers the meal from catch until flight to a nearby tree to digest.

The hawk didn't seem all that perturbed at having a human audience for the meal, but some of the people behaved badly and a lot of energy was expended keeping them away from the hawk.

I originally had 60 minutes of video, but I've cut it down to 35. I made a 60-minute version, but the shorter version shows the most important moments so that's the one I've posted.

Hawks are nature at her rawest. These magnificent birds have evolved in a way that keeps the population of rodents and birds down. They are efficient hunters, and eat what they kill. I don't know how to explain my fascination with the red-tailed hawks, other than to show you these videos and the photos. 

The last three photos below are of a second young red-tailed hawk who was hanging out in the Ramble.

Women's March NYC

Saturday's Women's March in New York City was inspiring, creative and exciting to be a part of. We went first to Fifth Avenue and 57th Street to see what was going on, then walked down to 47th Street and Third Avenue to be a part of the thousands of marchers as they merged into the main crowd.

Signs at the Women's March NYC, Jan. 21, 2017

I took video and photographs, which you can see below. I am still thinking about what form of activism to join. The election was so very disturbing not only because someone totally unqualified to be a leader, who treats women as objects and who lies out of every side of his mouth was ensconced in the Oval Office, but also because the House and Senate fell into the hands of people determined to destroy the ideals and progress so many of us have worked for our entire lives. 

Right now I am thinking about the most effective ways to change the composition of the House and Senate at the next midterm elections. And I have decided that wherever I can withhold money from those who voted to take the country back to the Stone Age, I will. Therefore I won't be spending any of my money in a red state, nor will I buy from companies that supported the politicians who want to take away my rights and freedoms.

I believe in a woman's right to make moral decisions for herself, in working to halt global warming and to protect our fragile environment and endangered animals, in fighting for equal rights for all our citizens, and in the insistence that our educational system provide equal opportunity for all children, and be grounded in science and facts, not in myths and fiction. And I believe in art and the importance of culture to help us transcend the worst parts of our nature. These are the goals I will continue to fight for and create for. "Liberal" is not a dirty word — it is a badge I wear proudly.