Hey, Baby...

These birds on the telephone line - I don't know who they are. At a distance, I was hoping it was a pair of American kestrels I saw the other day. I'm lucky enough to see these beautiful small falcons most winters, and I'm pretty sure we have more than one breeding pair in the neighborhood.

They were flying around in the air together just before dusk. Calling and calling back and forth in their high-pitched hawklike scream, swooping around each other, making a large circle over several houses on my block.

I don't know what they were doing this for: maybe playing, maybe courting. Hopefully, not looking for babies robbed from their nest.

It was a beautiful display, like they were dancing together in the air. Calling and calling, talking, clearly focused on each other with a startling intensity.

These birds? Not kestrels. But I do think they're winter visitors of some sort.


--Heyyyyy, baby! Lookin' good!

--HUH. Do I know you?


Okay, sugar. Be that way. Two can play that game.


Well...I don't want to be rude...Who'd you say you were?