Hovering Hawk

As I headed south on Aviation Boulevard across the southern runways of LAX to my right I spied a red-tailed hawk at my 11’oclock in midair just as it dove in pursuit of prey in the expanse of scrub beyond the fence to my left.

The hawk aborted the attempt halfway down and pulled up. Then, against a strong cross wind, it beat its wings so as to remain suspended and stationery for a good 10 seconds while it continued to search the ground. At the time it crossed my 9 o’clock it finally reacquired its quarry and streaked downward in a wing-tucked rush, coming up after a brief flurry of feathers and dirt with some sort of small rodent firmly in its talons.

Wow.

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Will

Will Campbell arrived in town via the maternity ward at Good Sam Hospital way back in OneNineSixFour and has never stopped calling Los Angeles home. Presently he lives in Silver Lake with his wife Susan, their cat Rocky, dogs Terra and Hazel, and a red-eared slider turtle named Mater. Blogging since 2001, Will's web endeavors extend back to 1995 with laonstage.com, a comprehensive theater site that was well received but ever-short on capital (or a business model). The pinnacle of his online success (which speaks volumes) arrived in 1997, when much to his surprise, a hobby site he'd built called VisuaL.A. was named "best website" in Los Angeles magazine's annual "Best of L.A." issue. He enjoys experiencing (and writing about) pretty much anything creative, explorational and/or adventurous, loves his ebike, is a better tennis player than he is horr golfer, and a lover of all creatures great and small -- emphasis on "all."