Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Hide and Seek at Amon Basin

I followed the rabbit trails into the hills above Amon Basin this morning
A bright, sunny morning, crisp with a reminder of winter's chill
I had my camera at the ready hoping for a shot of a Black-tailed Jackrabbit

I moved slowly, softly, in my white man's imitation of a Cayuse hunter
Avoiding the dry, broken sagebrush twigs littering the ground
Stepping over an abundance of scattered droppings

The rabbits were here, moving like ghosts through the underbrush
Every so often I would catch a fleeting glimpse of grey-brown
Disappearing behind a bush or the gnarled trunk of a Big Sage

The jackrabbits seemed to be playing hide and seek
But a shadow passed across the path in front of me
And looking up I saw a Marsh Hawk gliding high overhead
Descending in slow circles, following my progress
Using me to beat the bushes for its breakfast
Playtime was over

New shoots on the Hopsage
Trembled in the soft morning breeze
And I moved on towards Amon Creek

Where Red-winged Blackbirds perched on swaying reeds
Were displaying their plumage and screeching
Their alarm at the predator above

2 comments:

  1. Nice birdcall! My cat, Bijou, kept looking around to see where the bird was.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi, Vex! It's amazing what one can find on the Internet.

    ReplyDelete

Comment moderation request has been emailed to the blog author.