My dad has been watching this bird for the past few days, so once he saw it yesterday evening, he called me over to look at it. Of course, I grabbed my camera, and then I walked out the back door as gingerly as possible so as not to scare it.
Once I saw it, this came back to me:
One Friday in November, IDS features editor Lindsey Erdody ran into the newsroom and yelled that there was a huge bird on the back porch of Ernie Pyle Hall. I ran out with my camera and found what turned out to be a red-tailed hawk strutting in the alley between the Indiana Memorial Union and EP Hall. Eventually, it flew down the Jordan River... with a squirrel in its talons. I followed it until it flew out of Dunn Meadow.
Back to yesterday: The bird was as majestic as that hawk in November. It surveyed our backyard, perched on the swingset without a worry in the world. Without a squirrel, of course, but it did do something special that made this sighting just as unique.
Next entry: the Help for Haiti bike ride yesterday. My dad organized the benefit ride, so I took the photos for it.