as the crow flies

yesterday afternoon i was hanging laundry outside when i heard a strange noise: a sort of melodic choking but without the feline raspiness that announces one of the cats' special deliveries. plus, it seemed to issue from the sky, where the cats usually aren't.

scanning overhead, i saw a redtail hawk performing graceful yet evasive manuevers while a pair of crows mobbed it, crying and diving.

from his stand in the garden, D noticed them too. "there must be a nest nearby," he said.

i watched the three birds pitch and circle across the sky, marvelling at the courage of two crows taking on a much bigger adversary a couple significant steps up the food chain; then i questioned the wisdom of leaving a nest unguarded for as long as they had. at this moment, one the crows tilted away and flew swiftly back -- presumably -- to the nest.

i love it when things make sense.