Winter Wonders

Red tailed hawks nesting:
the female falters, struggles to collect
live branches at the tops of trees,
as the male works on the nest.

She moves to a low branch
to pounce on a rabbit,
which escapes! We marvel
as she flies low over us.

We hear her call to her mate,
and they soar in circles together, 
high above. 

After a successful hunt,
prey feathers are found in a circular
pattern on the ground,
called a "fairy ring." 

In Concord, hundreds of geese
fly in small skeins across a flat field,
against a backdrop of lavender,
just at sunset. 

Nearby, a boggy area's
frozen patches shimmer silver,
black, and pewter.
Deeper water reflects bare trees 
at the edge. 

A rare cloud halo,
created by ice crystals,
shines, iridescent,
over the river,
colors scintillating, 

Valentine's night, 
all is quiet, as
Venus, the goddess of love,
stays close to
the nascent crescent moon.

A great blue heron
takes off from a naked branch,
flies low over the river,
flapping large wings,
legs trailing. 

A cardinal on my apple tree,
brilliant red on an overcast day,
looks at me through the window,
on day one of the
Cornell backyard bird count.

At dusk there is a chill, 
the moon shining into
the moon roof, as
reflections of the Watch Factory
in the still river enchant. 

Two swans at twilight
look pale and angelic,
as doves coo, and a mockingbird
on a small nest tree
puffs up against the cold. 

Erratic weather goes
from icy to warm.
City lights on a misty night
create a scene from a fable. 

A bevy of arctic mergansers
frolic and dabble to feed
in the cove, splashing white spume.

Red breasted nuthatches glow, 
travel downward on trunks,
and on undersides of branches,
like avian acrobats.

A lone kildeer, 
an early migrant,
is lethargic, then active
as a dreaded chill descends.

A swift bald eagle flaps
vigorous wings
over the water at dusk,
to roost for the night.