Slowly Crawling Back
We’ve been so busy, and only now slowing down a little. Much accomplished, however. Summer break is nearing. I still have typewriter cleaning, restoration. etc. . . projects to work on. I’ m not able to typecast or pencast yet, but we’re getting there. The interest remains, but time constrains. Any fourth dimensional tips out there? Focus this summer will be Dickens, Hardy, Chaucer, history of the English language, backyard birds, and more, . . . and also, Impalas . . . and always, all things written.
Air Assault – revisited
July 17, 2008, I wrote about being attacked by two birds late at night in town. Re-read “Air Assault”. I guessed an American Kestrel was the culprit but I never could reconcile the white bars I remembered on the underside of the wings. I’ve been looking for those birds for almost a year and this evening our paths crossed again – quite literally.
I was driving right downtown, on the Courthouse square, slowly, when I noticed a bird dive-bombing an oncoming car. As the bird veered up, I heard its call and I saw those familiar white bars. I turned in to park and watch. It was about sunset so I had plenty of light to observe the bird. First one, then later, two. I estimated it at under a foot but bigger than an 8-9 inch bird. It could not soar, it always had to turn or flap to keep flying. It would flap moderately three of four times then quickly for a second or two, and repeat the cycle. It would climb high and dive down toward the rooftops of a building with a metal roof, and as it dove, near the bottom of the dive, I heard a distinct projection of noise bounce off of the roof. Again and again, it dove and I heard the noise. It was just like I remembered – a sonic event distinct from the bird’s call, projected toward the object of the dive.
The mystery bird has been revealed – The Night-Hawk.
The Typewritten Page 