Hawk Eye

Japanese Magnolia

It's fun to discover the beauty that surrounds you when you simply take time to look.  Our virtually non-existent winter means that spring was upon us in mid-February so every day is a journey to see what is in bloom.  

Peach blossom

Bees gathering nectar from wild mustard.

And here are my walking partners.  They love to gallop down the field to find new things to sniff, squirrels to chase.  

Roscoe never likes to look at the camera.

And Dixie always wants to have her picture taken.

Cilantro starting to flower.

While I was outside delivering some scraps to the compost bin I heard a loud squawking coming from the bushes.  When I went to investigate I found one of the chickens.  She thought I couldn't see her when she ducked her head behind the leaves.
 

She's made a nest there and has apparently been laying there for a while now.  I thought she was broody and going to stay, but she was just making her daily deposit.  

When we made it to the back of the field on our Sunday afternoon walk the dogs started barking at something in the fence corner but it was hidden by some brush.  I saw a flash of light and dark go up and I yelled for the dogs to come back because I immediately thought it was a skunk.  (They've been out a lot lately, thankfully not at our place.)  As we got closer we could see it wasn't a skunk, it was a red tailed hawk.

If we came near, it would raise one wing.  The other wing was badly injured.  We trekked back to the house and called the Department of Natural Resources and they gave us the name of someone to call for bird rescue.  Thankfully he lives nearby.  When we got back down the field with him to show him the bird, it was gone.  After a long search Jack found him and they were able to capture him.  He was off to the veterinarian for x-rays to determine the cause and severity of the damage and then on to Auburn University in Alabama to a rehabilitation program.