This isn't really about pop culture, but I figure if Neil at Texas Liberal can do marine animal posts along with his political posts and get way more traffic than I do, I can pass along this bit of amateur naturalism.
One of the greatest things about where I live is my proximity to Franklin Park. I could go on at great length about the Park, and I'd like to, but I think that's a magazine article or possibly nonfiction book, so I'll just say I really love it. It's allowed me to connect with other dog owners (as John Bender would say, demented and sad, but social), and I've had a lot of creative inspiration walking through the woods there.
Anyway, one of my favorite things about walking in the park is how often I get to see hawks close-up. There are several hawks that live in the park, and they are simply the coolest things there by far. It's not uncommon for me to get within 10 or 15 feet of one. Birds of prey are right up there with baseball and fatherhood on the list of things that inspire purple prose, so I know I must tread carefully, but these birds are beautiful, awe-inspiring, and, best of all from my perspective as a resident of the neighborhood, they keep the rodent population down. (I feel kinda bad for the bunnies, but the more squirrels, rats, and mice they kill the better as far as I'm concerned.)
But here's the weird thing--hawks are harassed by crows all the time. Just yesterday I saw a hawk swoop right past me and perch in a tree. He sat there just reveling in his own magnificence for a minute until a few crows, with their loud, ugly cries, came after him and chased him off, cawing loudly all the way.
So I'm thinking, what the hell is wrong with these birds? Crows are scavengers, so they need predators like hawks to drop a squirrel intestine now and then for them to munch on! Surely they can't depend on roadkill and disease alone! They must actually depend on the hawks. And yet, they harass 'em all the time.
There's only one explanation. Crows are nature's playa haters. Sure, they need the hawks, but they can't stand the fact that the hawks get more attention and love. It's true--people will stand still and gaze in rapt silence at a hawk, but nobody even notices when a lowly crow swings by. The crows just can't stand the fact that somebody else is prettier, stronger, and more successful than they are. Were this a video blog, I might don some mascara, lie on a sheet and cry, "Leave the hawks alone! Leave them alooooone!". But, sadly, I don't think the crows would listen. Haters!
