High Up

The big nest lay supported on the very top of that tall 30 or 40 foot pinion pine. It had been used many seasons, being added to and reinforced over the years. From yonder hillside my friend and I sat looking at the 2 baby hawks, covered with fuzzy white down. They were pretty good size so must have been about 6 weeks old. The parent flew over us often, apprehensive that we might molest the little ones, and not without cause, for that is what we wanted to do.

The tree had 2 or 3 main vertical limbs upon which the structure was built. When I climbed up underneath it, there was no way to tunnel through the bottom. It was too solidly built. I would have to go over the outside edge.

After tearing and breaking away some of the bigger sticks and limbs, I wiggled and pulled myself up and over into the nest, all the time hearing and feeling the rush of wings and angry cries of the parents as they tried to scare me away.

The young ones were very friendly, thinking I was there to feed them, but the parents intensified their attack. They swarmed above my head like 2 angry bees. Very large bees, swooping in from every direction with out stretched talons that barely missed my scalp, sounding out their screams of rage in defense of their young ones.

Shivers of fear tingled my head and coursed up and down my back and legs as I crouched down caressing the baby hawks. My friend Ray, was laughing with excitement as he watched the attack of the big birds, hollering about how close they came and what their talons could do to my head.

Pretty quick my apprehension got the best of me so backward over the edge I went with my feet dangling in space feeling for limbs below. My rib cage supported me on the edge of the nest. Finally, way under, my feet found the support of the slender vertical tree top. Then gingerly I lowered myself, hoping that the sticks of the nest would not pull loose. I was praying that the Lord would not let me fall.

When my hands finally got hold of the live part of the tree I was greatly relieved to be there and gave thanks for my safety. It is a spooky predicament to be hanging over the edge of that high up nest and not be able to see where to put your feet, there being no other way down and all the while those mean hawks harassing you. It was exhilarating though, once the danger was past and I was standing safe on the ground.

I laughed and told Ray how exciting it was up there, but after watching my precarious dangling on the edge of the nest he figured he had sufficient excitement vicariously, so we mounted our horses and rode off to look for other interesting things to do.