Roasted and Banished
I learned several weeks ago about a cause of fire that I had never thought to worry about. This cause affected our son's property along K61. Our daughter-in-law, Clarissa (Clare) first became aware of the problem when a fire truck appeared in the driveway. Someone had seen that the pasture was on fire and had called for help.
The wind that day was from the north. A power line borders the roadway on the south, marking the boundary between the public roadside and the pasture that is part of their 9-acre property. The house and other outbuilding are mostly west of the pasture, although the pasture does curve around to the south of the buildings at the west end (my apologies to any reader not used to thinking in cardinal directions).
When the excitement was over, the cause was discovered near one of the power line poles. It was a badly charred hawk--identifiable by his body shape, beak and talons. He had apparently been electrocuted, with his feathers set aflame in the process. When the flaming body fell onto dry grass, the grass ignited and the fire spread quickly under the force of the wind. Two fire departments responded, and the fire was contained--not before it had burned all the way to the outside wall of one of the outbuildings.
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A Great-Horned Owl has been frequenting our property of late. I often hear its vocalizations if I wake up at night. I've seen it perched nearby late in the evening and early in the morning. Since these owls may nest as early as January, I presume that some of the hunting may be the work of hardworking parents.
In previous years, I often saw a Great Horned Owl perched in the evening on the cross-arm of a power line pole along the railroad on the opposite side of Trail West Road which goes by our place.
In recent months the entire row of power line poles along the railroad has been removed. I lament the absence of the lines and poles for several reasons. It makes the landscape more featureless, and it removes miles of perching space for songbirds and predator birds.
Training binoculars on a bird resting on a power line is relatively easy compared to locating it among the branches of a tree, so part of what I lament is that I don't have a clear view of birds as readily available anymore. Also, I'm sorry that birds of prey don't have a good vantage point for hunting over the prey-rich un-mowed grass along the railroad. That must be why the resident Great Horned Owl is busy on our little 3-acre property. I hope our cat and our chickens stay safe. The Cottontail rabbits? He can have those. The mice too.
The wind that day was from the north. A power line borders the roadway on the south, marking the boundary between the public roadside and the pasture that is part of their 9-acre property. The house and other outbuilding are mostly west of the pasture, although the pasture does curve around to the south of the buildings at the west end (my apologies to any reader not used to thinking in cardinal directions).
When the excitement was over, the cause was discovered near one of the power line poles. It was a badly charred hawk--identifiable by his body shape, beak and talons. He had apparently been electrocuted, with his feathers set aflame in the process. When the flaming body fell onto dry grass, the grass ignited and the fire spread quickly under the force of the wind. Two fire departments responded, and the fire was contained--not before it had burned all the way to the outside wall of one of the outbuildings.
***************
A Great-Horned Owl has been frequenting our property of late. I often hear its vocalizations if I wake up at night. I've seen it perched nearby late in the evening and early in the morning. Since these owls may nest as early as January, I presume that some of the hunting may be the work of hardworking parents.
In previous years, I often saw a Great Horned Owl perched in the evening on the cross-arm of a power line pole along the railroad on the opposite side of Trail West Road which goes by our place.
In recent months the entire row of power line poles along the railroad has been removed. I lament the absence of the lines and poles for several reasons. It makes the landscape more featureless, and it removes miles of perching space for songbirds and predator birds.
Training binoculars on a bird resting on a power line is relatively easy compared to locating it among the branches of a tree, so part of what I lament is that I don't have a clear view of birds as readily available anymore. Also, I'm sorry that birds of prey don't have a good vantage point for hunting over the prey-rich un-mowed grass along the railroad. That must be why the resident Great Horned Owl is busy on our little 3-acre property. I hope our cat and our chickens stay safe. The Cottontail rabbits? He can have those. The mice too.
posted by Mrs. I (Miriam Iwashige) at
9:31 AM
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