A red-tail hawk looks for lunch

 A few days after I saw the caracara, the red-tail hawk I’d seen on the creek flew by, overtaking us from behind. I heard him before I saw him.

Several interesting yards line the public fence — yards that are filled with anything you might need to finish a project: water heaters, a gas furnace, car parts, including at least two hulks, outdoor furniture, indoor furniture, badly soaked. The hawk was hunting. What? Rodents? Cats? Chihuahuas?

Some of the people on the West Side keep chickens. You can hear the roosters in the morning, but they are all sheltered, protected from hawks and other predators.

I’d seen this big hawk several times at the apartment complex on Commerce Street and the west bank of the creek. I’d seen him dive into the Dumpster. One day he came out carrying a rat, the tail dangling like a loose line.

The dense population of people produces garbage, which attracts rodents, which attract hawks.

They seem to like the campus of our Lady of the Lake University. I’d like to think it’s the quiet, scholarly environment. But I know better.