We're not talking Edie Falco ....


We are enraptured with a raptor.


Our neighbor, Hector the Falcon.
Last night we were in the car, headed for our usual evening stroll along the nature trails in Hammock Park when something popped out of the darkening skies and flew across our path.
What's this?
Someone reminiscent of Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade being hectored by Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre.
A large bird wearing brown pants and a morning coat with horizontal stripes. A falcon!
Oh, what a noble bird. Well, any bird wearing such fancy duds and observing the proprieties that go along with them must be noble. Falcon, coming from the Latin word falco, for scythe. The Roman nose, the shape of the head? Noble.
There was no other traffic on the road, so we stopped the car. Where was this assignation? The recycling center, of all places. What an urban comedown for a bird dressed like this guy.
He gave us the "cut." No recognition that we were watching him. But we knew he knew our eyes were on him. That's his M.O. The "I'm not watching you, I'll sort you out later" non-stare.
Joe, being Joe, doesn't travel in the car unless it's a trip to the vet's. Not his style. But we thought of Joe, and this two-legged, feathery competition for all the rats and rabbits in the neighborhood. After all, the falcon was just a block and a half from our home.
Too close for comfort, Joe?


The Maltese Falcon. An ancestor of Hector's?

Or does Joe know Hector? That's his name, or at least that's the signal he gave us. Hector. A name of which Dashiell Hammett would approve.
We continued to watch, fascinated by Hector's slow two-step. Clearly, he was fidgeting with something or someone on the ground, but it was clearly a disappointment to him. Maybe it was a piece of rubbish that had fooled him into thinking it was a luscious rat or mole.
Even falcons can be fooled.
The evening wasn't getting any younger, so we slowly drove away, a small jump from Hector signaled his good bye.
What a character, and it's neat to think he's one of our neighbors. Even Joe the Cat agrees.



Posted: Wed - September 12, 2007 at 09:41 AM          

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