Since the beginning of
September I have seen two birds attacked by hawks. It is excruciating because the hawk doesn’t
kill the bird immediately. The hawk
stands on the bird, flattening it and pinning the bird to the ground. All the bird can do is lie there, eyes open,
fully alive and knowing that death is the only outcome.
The first time it was a
pigeon. I shouted, “No!” at the hawk and
miraculously, the hawk flew off. The
pigeon limped a few steps and then flew a wobbly path under a car. Later that pigeon flew up on the roof of a building but when I went back a few hours
later to check on him, he seemed afraid to fly down. All we can do is hope the swelling went down
from the puncture wound in his shoulder and he was able to fly off the
building.
On Saturday a hawk got a
dove. A gentle, peaceful collar neck
dove. The hawk stood on the dove. I shouted, “Get off that bird!” The dove
started flapping his wings trying to get free.
It didn’t matter. The hawk flew
off with the dove.
Why does the hawk wait? Does the hawk enjoy the sense of power it
gets from scaring the bird? If so, that
is really sick. Really sick. And very
disappointing to know that a hawk might be just like people we can all think of
who engage in cruelty just because it makes them feel powerful.
(c) Crown copyright images reproduced by courtesy of The
National Archives, Kew, UK
Catalog numbers: AIR23/998
#65, #66, #67, #68, #69, #70,
#71
