Tuesday, July 28, 2009, 9:47 PM

Lately I have spent some time driving around the reservoirs, spotting hawks (why I'm driving) and birds that interest me (mostly indigo buntings, goldfinches, bluebirds, and anything I don't recognize - and barn swallows, which are among the very best flyers in the universe).
In the past, I have spent hours running in the Salamonie State Forest, both the road and the fire trails.
Late this morning I was driving the same road, much of which is canopied by trees, and on a little uphill curve, there is a Cooper's Hawk, standing on a kill, on my right bumper. She flew across my windshield into the trees, about 15 yards into the woods, allowing me to make a positive ID.
I have some guilt about windshield hawking, not actually communing with nature, but driving around looking at stuff, like a tourist on a schedule, and I come on this magnificent bird, renowned for its reticence, who sticks around for minutes while I stare agape and stare ("gather information" sounds like someone who actually knows what he/she is doing).

I'd just love to have one to fly. She is an accipiter, one of only three hawks in Indiana (predominately two: the goshawk is rare) to take birds on the wing.

Apprentice falconers in Indiana can't capture and fly Cooper's hawks. They (hopefully, soon, we) are "limited" to red tail hawks and American Kestrels. I assume this is because of their relative abundance - come on by, I'll show you several of either.
But this is a very good thing.
Red tail hawks are just awesome, the largest resident hawk in most eastern states, tame by every standard, easy to train, and can feed a family of four, with due diligence.
On the other hand, the kestrel is a true falcon, more than capable of taking small birds (safely, up to a grackle) on the wing.
It is truly a winner's choice: big bird, big game, or little bird, lives in the house, takes sparrows out the car window.
The great thing about falconry is the birds are always better hunters after training than before. For instance, a kestrel may be satisfied with insects (scarce in winter) and is then taught to take down birds, in its capacity. A red tail dependent on road kill, to its constant endangerment, is taught to hunt fields and open range. The point is, rather than being "domesticated", the raptors are taught that there are no limits to their skills. (This obsevation does not ignore the need for "hacking", weaning wild birds fron dependence on their human providers.)
This is the apprentice's safety net. If the bird doesn't want to be a part of the process, you can release it, knowing it is better for the encounter.
And get another.
Win-win.