Ezra the Juvenile.

 

Monday's are the shittiest day of the week. Mine was even shittier. We have a family of red-tailed hawks that live at the cemetery where I work during the summer. Beautiful, regal birds. They've lived there for a few years, nesting atop an evergreen tree. The male and female mate for life and as far as we know, Ezra (above) was their only offspring. Ezra was born in the spring, a "juvenile" -  meaning it hasn't reached sexual maturity - which in Ezra's case would be two years. We don't know Ezra's sex so we'll just say he's a "he".

Monday morning, Bryan and I found Ezra on the ground below the nest, lying on its back. As far as we could determine, Ezra's back had been broken. We have no idea how. Perhaps a flying miscalculation? Who knows.

We kept an eye on Ezra all morning, turning him on his stomach to see if that helped. However, he slowed down as the morning passed. We called a vet, the DNR, Human Society, shelter - no one would come out to the cemetery. There was nothing they could do for him.

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The hawks were untypically quiet all day. Do you suppose they knew their Ezra had passed? Were they looking for him? Later on in the afternoon, I saw mom and dad hawk soaring above, riding those thermal drafts - floating, wing-to-wing. At one point, I saw one of the hawks roosting in a tree I had never seen them roost in - a tree overlooking the baby section of the cemetery.

And Bryan and I were quieter than usual that day. Ezra was a part of our daily life and I can't stop thinking about him. So, writer-Jeff composed this haiku, in memory of Ezra the Juvenile:

ezra

look yonder, young hawk!
soar! cry! kree-eee-ar! kree-eee-ar! search the sky!
silence. listen...kree-eee-ar!

Before giving Ezra a proper burial (as only we would know how to do), Bryan and I each took one of Ezra's tail feathers, held sacred to many American Indian tribes - our way of honoring our friend. Take a look at this video - an up-close look at a trained red-tailed hawk...much like Ezra the Juvenile.

Goodbye, Ezra...may you soar in peace for a thousand years. You will be missed.