new kid in town

For the past week or so this amazing creature has been hanging around school. Last Friday it was perched outside my classroom for an entire period in one of the trees. It was a total distraction for me, but I managed. Anyway, today as I traversed campus for our ritual morning assembly this guy was perched right on the seat of a bench sheltered from the wind outside the classrooms trying to get warm in the sun. Of course when my colleague tried to snap a picture on the only available recoding device, a cell phone, the bird lifted its wings. Later in the day the hawk returned and I went back with a real camera and managed to capture a few pictures - so regal. It was a real thrill to be able to be so close that I could see the size of the claws on its feet and an honor that it allowed me to approach so near.