Lovely Late Autumn

On a sunny, unusually cold day,
a red- tailed hawk sits motionless
on a bare branch, flies to the ground,
followed by her mate.

The male sits on a low stone
a few feet from me,
silhouetted against 
a fiery red tree, 

watching the female
chase a chipmunk which skitters
behind pots of flowers
at a grave. 

She puts on a show,
jumping up and down 
revealing white underwings, 
razor talons at the ready. 

She reminds me of juveniles 
pouncing on worms and 
man made objects, practicing
hunting skills. 

This bird is relentless, 
climbing onto pots,
turning them over, 
pulling out flowers, 

her white legs clumsy
with the effort,
long after that tiny
rodent has vacated.  

The sun lights her tail 
like a beacon,
a burnt burgundy.

As I watch from mere feet away,
nibbling on my sandwich,
I fear the male could
swoop into my open window. 

He takes off at a furious pace,
flies directly at me,
skims the roof of the car,
flies off to a low tree branch.

A maple in slanted sunlight
turns a blood orange color,
illuminated as if from within. 
 
At the cove, the peaceful
swan family swirls
close to the edge.
A tight knit group.

Offspring are turning white,
their soft gray patches
blending in, necks dusky,
beaks still dark, a visual gift. 

Swanlings are now large enough
to escape snapper jaws,
yet the parents stay close

as they dip heads
under water to feed on 
flowing weeds below.  

A great blue heron
stands immobile
at the bank of the river,
fishing in a new landscape
of sepias, ochres, rust,and carmine. 

A pair of peregrine falcons
arrive at the Waltham Watch factory,
one at the tip of an evergreen,
the other on a small high roof.

One raptor flies at an imposssible speed,
downward, to capture a sparrow
from a hedge top, as its mate
stands shaken and bewildered  

Geese continue their migration,
yet some stream back from the river
on a hot day, water droplets
shimmering on air as they fly.

Groups of tiny sparrows
with white-streaked tails
are harassed by larger
predators.

A mother deer appears
at the edge of the forest,
her fawn running fast
to precede her. 

The evening sky is rich with
Northern lights billowing,
shifting and changing 

A tableau to delight.