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Re: Harriers at Irvine Nat. Cent.

From:

Leo Weigant

Reply-To:

Leo Weigant

Date:

Sat, 12 Nov 2011 22:51:04 -0500

	Rick and Rick,
	
		I suspect you both would find some interest, if not fascination,
	in what I think the most beautiful (and definitely not sentimental)
	poem ever written about a bird.

		That would be Mary Oliver's "Marsh Hawk" ~ the traditional
	name for harriers ~ it captures exactly the kind of flowing and
	awesome sweep of their flight which seems to have touched you.

		It begins:

		The marsh hawk
		doesn't.
		as other hawks do,
		work his wings

		like soft hinges
		to make
		progress over
		the marsh,

		but merely,
		or so it seems,
		lays his breast upon the air
		and the air, as if understanding.

		floats him along
		with his wings open,
		and raised, just a little
		beyond the horizontal -- in thanks, perhaps,
	
		. . .
	
		there's more to it.   Worth looking up in Google / Wikipedia . . .

		Leo Weigant

		PS I never watch the harrier's flight without remembering
		that, from the point of view of a mole of vole down in the
		march grass, they are being "harried," a verb whose
		derivation is all to vivid in this sight.


	
On Nov 12, 2011, at 10:08 PM, Warblerick wrote:

> Agree, whole-heartedly!!
>
> Rick Sussman
> Woodbine,MD
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Rick Borchelt <>
> To: MDOSPREY <>
> Sent: Sat, Nov 12, 2011 7:16 pm
> Subject: Re: [MDOSPREY] Harriers at Irvine Nat. Cent.
>
>
> I do wish more people would post thoughtful, emotive pieces like yours
> o OSPREY.  This is why I bird -- not to tick off species, although
> hat certainly can be fun.  But in a very real sense I have never
> rown past the sheer awe of bird watching rather than birding.... It
> as compelling, engaging writing that recounted experience and sense
> f place that created the bird conservation movement in the first
> lace; I suspect that without it we are stuck with commodification of
> irds and anyone who has a more pressing temporary need will steamroll
> ny conservation effort.
> Thanks for posting.
> On Sat, Nov 12, 2011 at 7:02 PM, Timothy Houghton  
> <> wrote:
>  I didn't think to post this earlier, but the mention today of a  
> harrier at a
> ifferent location suggested that perhaps some would be interested  
> in the
> arriers at Irvine. I've been to Irvine twice in the last ten days,  
> and each
> ime I saw 3 northern harriers: 2 females and 1 male. The first time  
> was
> articularly compelling, b/c I saw all 3 flying at the same time.  
> It's hard to
> escribe the impression I received from that. The day was cool and  
> breezy--an
> arly winter landscape, open grassy fields, lines of largely  
> leafless trees in
> arious places, the wind in grasses and branches. It was terribly  
> beautiful,
> tark. They were flying low, making wave patterns, as you know, over  
> the fields,
> hen rising to go over some trees, then down again to resume the  
> close wave
> hape near the ground. They seemed to dominate the entire area. I'll  
> never
> orget that day, seeing the 3 of them there. TH
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> -- 
> ick Borchelt
> ollege Park, MD
> referred personal email:  rickb |AT| nasw |DOT| org
> http://leplog.wordpress.com
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