Something strange happened late this afternoon. A red-shouldered hawk flew into our backyard, escorted by a pair of crows.
The hawk settled onto a limb of our black maple tree while the crows perched in trees to either side of the maple. All three seemed to have taken their assigned seats; there was no squabbling or theatrics and the crows remained silent. Had they engaged in their usual raucous objections to the presence of a hawk, every blue jay in the neighborhood would have turned up to take part in the harassment. Meanwhile, a squirrel on a limb across from the hawk merely looked on with no apparent alarm. Neither did a host of songbirds pay much attention to the raptor, foraging about the yard in the late day sunshine. Eventually, the hawk flew off but the crows stayed put for a few minutes, perhaps confused by their own civility.
In my 47 years of birding, I have never encountered such a peaceful assembly of natural enemies. Perhaps there is a cosmic explanation for this event but I am inclined to accept the incident as a natural variation in animal behavior. Besides, it is best to appreciate such peaceful coexistence (however brief), a phenomenon too uncommon in human society.
