For the Love of B&W Photography

[eachan]

The sparrow hawk who visits my garden from time to time, doubtless to snack on a wee bird, is very cool and fearless about having her photograph taken from about eight feet away. Do hawks understand the concept of glass and that while we are behind it we can do her no harm?

She watched us at the window, her head rotating through most of 360 degrees like an owl's, so that she could study us with one eye and then the other, making of us whatever it is that hawks make of humans: inedible and possibly dangerous.



I'm ambivalent about her (she has the female colouring). I love her grace and ferocity, the sleek body built for speed, the intelligent eye which sees much more than we poor creatures are capable of. She's an image of ferocity and yet she's no more fierce than a shopper in the supermarket. I'm highly privileged to see her so close but I wish I didn't make slaughter so easy for her by feeding the birds. I don't want to be Burger King for hawks. Photos are courtesy of Deb. I'm a crap photographer.