What are the chances of a native, common, juvenile, red-tailed hawk spending an entire hour posing on the Angelkeep patio two to six feet from the windows? Nearly 200 photos and videos captured this extended nature moment, a chance of a lifetime…make that 10,000 lifetimes.
Some would say Angelkeep was way “amped,” “crazy,” or “shook” to this “bussin’” nature event. Angelkeep testified to only the old-school lingo of “awesome,” as slang originating in the 1970s. “Real McCoy,” “Truth,” “Tru,” in “Tora! Tora! Tora!”
The truly amazing part of this up-close encounter of a rare sort, came due to the fearless proximity. No doubt existed that the hawk calmly watched the humans watching it. At one point the red-tailed youngster stood opposite Gwen, separated by only the screen door betwixt patio and living room. It moved from the cement to a flower-filled patio whiskey barrel planter.
Like Goldilocks in her three-bear story, red-tailed changed perches from one to another, then to a third half-barrel planter. Red-tailed, known scientifically as Buteo jamaicensis, perched and posed, showing off beautiful feathers. Buteo was gorgeous, or as the young folks might text, “It’s boujee.”
Buteo’s head-to-tail length reached 18 inches, likely more. This bird’s adult normal of give-or-take two feet came with a wing span of give-or-take four feet. “Boujee big.” Indiana habitat housed red-tails year-round. This siting became the first at Angelkeep. Certainly a first juvenile as well.
This Buteo, being juvenile, had yellow eyes, not yet turned reddish-brown. It held no red tail feathers as yet. The yellow irises matched its talons’ color. It may have been only three months old, it taking that long for one to fledge and hunt food for itself. It definitely could be considered a passage hawk (on their own but under one year) and as such, legally allowable for capture to use by falconers.
Buteo displayed the plain upper breast feathering, with a lower belt of feather pattern, typical of this hawk variety. Red-tailed joined Cooper’s and Sharp-shinned hawks, receiving the undeserved name of “chicken hawk.” Red-tailed hawks much prefer rodents over chicken for food.
What a missed opportunity to capture Buteo and train it to keep the Angelkeep tomato-eating chipmunk population diminished. “Zounds!” Now there’s a slang exclamation traceable back to the 1600s. It was only spoken then, never texted.
A very special enriching part of the Buteo and Angelkeep encounter resulted in the fact that the rarity had been recognized the minute the hawk set talons on Angelkeep patio cement. The uniqueness of being so close in nature with this creature resonated immediately.
Going eyeball to eyeball with such a majestic bird in a natural setting felt almost heart-stopping. During times when Buteo perched facing the pond, rather than the house windows, it repeatedly turned its head both right and left. It utilized extreme swivels to reengage contact with its human admirer. Was it “hamming it up” (1930s origin) for the Nikon lens?
Those bright yellow irises — characteristic of juvenile — in the eyes of Buteo remain that color for up to two years. The brightness of the eyes from those yellow rings added to the haunting look of desire from the hawk. It truly seemed to want the human encounter as much as Angelkeep’s wide eyes signaled return pleasure from the inside of the window panes.
Angelkeep had absolutely no doubts that exchanges occurred. Nothing transferred in a language that could be heard or transcribed. Eye exchanges signaled a heart response only. Buteo seemed to know instantly it had found a home where it could rest from hunting and simply “hang out.” Angelkeep became its safe haven.
Buteo relaxed and preened a bit for the camera’s video mode. During this time, another amazing occurrence involved the rest of the Angelkeep bird regulars. Finches, cardinals, orioles, chic-a-dees, and more returned to the bird feeders only a few feet from the patio while Buteo perched tall on the patio half-barrels. Normal fear of hawks passed, allowing all birds to resume normal feeding.
One red-headed woodpecker dared to dine on seeds in the bird bath within easy Buteo striking distance. For the moment, all the world lived in peace. Even blue jays, that normally shrilly sound the alarm when a hawk is in the area, had been silenced.
Were Angelkeep birds “woke?” It seemed a beautiful world-peace lesson, a chance in 10,000 never to be expressed on any newspaper front page.
Angelkeep Journals proudly presents Buteo’s world peace, right here on page four.
Mr. Daugherty is a Wells County resident who, along with his wife Gwen, enjoy their backyard and have named it “Angelkeep.”
