It is an image from the side-project, a Feather on the Sidewalk, and what made me pause, I was hustling off to meet some guy about a chart, I think, what made me pause?
Less than a week earlier, I’d been wandering the banks of the storied and fabled San Antonio River, watching as some yearling hawks, two, no, three played aerial grab-ass, screeching, and causing consternation in the air, along the river’s banks. A pair landed in the top of the cypress trees, historical in and of themselves, with much ruffling of the hawks’ feathers. Kids these days, huh.
No images as the hawks weren’t still long enough, but there was no Red Tail, which, in my mind made it more curious, as that’s the usual raptor, the Red Tail Hawk.
A day or two later, along a different portion of the river’s trail, two of the hawks played aerial tag again, with a possible piece of “live food” in the mix. Not sure, didn’t get a good look. A gentleman in suit sans jacket was walking, talking on his phone as the hawks screamed and took off from the tall trees. We both looked up. Again, no red tail.
Then, a few mornings later, there, on the sidewalk, same neighborhood, the feather. I left the feather there, only took a picture, but I’m pretty sure they were a brood of Harris Hawks, not uncommon in these parts.
No way to know for sure, might’ve just been a party trinket, dyed to look like hawk’s feather. Still, it could be real.
In the last straw (cowboy) hat I wore, I had blackbird’s feather, from Austin, tucked in the hatband. Certainly a Raven’s Feather is symbolic for me.
#Bexar County Line