Hey tweets, Last evening was a spectacular time at the Fill, although it
didn't start out that way. When I arrived around 5:15 p.m., the place was
littered with hundreds and hundreds of crows. Usually that means no other
birds. So I had resigned myself to enjoying the crows' antics (a challenge,
because one has to disregard the cold look in their beady eyes, along with
the realization that if dinosaurs really did evolve into birds, then the
T.rex must have been the ancestor of crows). Anyway, I was enjoying the
scene when suddenly a sharp-shinned hawk burst out of the brush on the
south side of the main pond and went skimming along the water. This was a
foolhardy act of amazing proportions, since 300 crows all took out after
him. They chased him into the willow tree on the north side of the pond.
Then the crows summoned help from all around the neighborhood - I could see
crows streaming in from the Villa, University Village and the stadium. I
thought the hawk was doomed. Luckily, just as the gang was getting ready
for mayhem, a merlin shot in from across the bay. Immediately the crows
gave chase. What a sight - that merlin simply toyed with the crows, flying
in and out among them, leading a pack of crows at one point, then circling
around in back. The merlin wasn't even breaking a sweat (all right, so
birds don't sweat), while the crows became more and more frustrated.
Meanwhile, everyone, including myself, lost track of the hawk. Eventually,
the merlin sped off and that ended the show. But what a show it was. That
merlin may be resident this winter - I've seen it at least twice before. -
Connie, Seattle

csidles at mail.isomedia.com