Sharp-shinned Hawk
From a tangled patch of pines, water oaks and privet at the corner of our street this morning, a Sharp-shinned Hawk burst suddenly out like a flash of light. The morning was sunny and cool, and the hawk seemed to shine, unusually close and clear against a deep blue sky. With short, broad wings outspread at first, it sailed up and then began to flap and glide, circle and climb. Its tail was long, narrow and square-tipped, with a narrow white band at the tip; its overall shape – and the way it flew – were compact and neat.
It soared up swiftly, and soon moved out of sight toward the northeast, so vividly there and quickly gone, it seemed almost to leave an image lingering in the air.