As I was cresting the first hill on my long weekend run, I had my eyes on the ground, thinking about the route, glad that I was out early while the suburbs were still quiet. Suddenly, something caught my eye at the top of the hill. It was a bird of prey, wings outstretched, flying directly at me. That alone would have been exciting, but then I realized that it was carrying something in its talons! I abruptly stopped running and stood in the middle of the road to watch it swoop by me and head towards the small patch of woods along the bike path. I started running again, half in a state of amazed shock, and saw where the bird had taken off from. In the strip of grass between sidewalk and road, I saw the killing sight - a circular explosion of small gray feathers. I contemplated taking one home with me for the little babe, but didn't want to carry a feather in my sweaty hand for the next hour. As I continued my run, it made me smile to think that I was the only person to have witnessed this event, even though it happened right outside someone's door and within sight of several other homes. I wondered if anyone had seen me standing there, wondering why I was staring at the sidewalk with a strange smile on my face. The lucky kestrel, soon to have a full belly, the unfortunate songbird, whose end was hopefully quick, and me, the rude visitor interrupting the meal. If I had run into another cul-de-sac or left the house three minutes later or if a car had driven by and scared the kestrel, I wouldn't have seen it. I may have seen the feathers and wondered what happened, but my morning wouldn't have been the same. I am thankful that in this manicured, manipulated, mass produced suburban neighborhood, the natural world is still alive and thriving, fighting for survival.
(Luckily, this adorable little guy did not get eaten over the weekend. He was hanging out under some bark scraps in the driveway. Another great suburban nature find.)
What are you thankful for today?