Heat wave

 

Early every morning, I fill the bird bath with fresh water for the little birds. Yesterday I was sitting inside listening to them happily splashing and chirping without a care in the world, when there was a sudden violent commotion-- followed by dead silence. 

That always means a predator, in this case a Coopers Hawk. We caught a glimpse of him in a shrub looking pretty annoyed. A near miss.

In past centuries, Coopers Hawks were much maligned as "bloodthirsty" bird and chicken killers and hunted almost to extinction. It was an unfair reputation. Like lions at a waterhole, they are attracted to bird feeders, and in the summer, a bird bath does nicely. 

We see hawks in the yard so seldom, maybe once a year, so I feel honored when they pay a visit. Not to mention, a raptor like that surviving in this tough town? That's pretty amazing in itself.

It’s hot this week, as you may have heard on the news. When I opened the window this morning, it was almost as warm outside as in, which is pretty unusual. It will only last until Wednesday or so, then we're back to more normal temperatures. Not a drop of rain in sight so fire danger is very high. We have some smoke drifting into Seattle from the North Cascades Sourdough Fire, which still has Highway 20 closed across the mountains.