Cooper's Hawk

Spending some time at Mustatatuck this Fall was a real treat. The beautiful colors of the leaves on the trees, not to mention the reeds in the marshes, as their colors changed hues from early to late Fall was amazing. I made several trips to the refuge and was really glad I got to see this transformation firsthand. On my first visit, I happened upon this Cooper's Hawk which I posted about several weeks ago. He was planted firmly on a small branch in a dense area of brush near one of the marshes.

While I felt blessed to have gotten some nice images of this bird of prey in the wild, I had no idea until researching the 'web' that in ancient Eygpt, the hawk was a symbol of the soul, as well as a symbol of victory because it swoops down on its prey with ferocity and power. There is tons more about the hawk online and its ancient symbolism. There is also a superstition among Native Americans that to see a hawk is a sign of good luck. Well, I definitely felt luck was at hand to get these images.

On this particular day, just getting a glimpse of this beautiful bird of prey was unusual. Normally, I see hawks flying overhead or perched up high on a branch at a distance. Attempting to get closer will only cause the hawk to fly away. Not a trusting soul I'd say. Cooper's Hawks prefer to hunt in dense vegetation which explains why I discovered this one in the dense brush near the marsh. My favorite image is of him taking off. He flew into denser brush and my attempts to get an image was futile. Warmer weather is on the horizon here in Kentucky. Global warming, are you a believer? ENJOY!