Another Hawk Tale

A colleague of mine, Erin told me this hawk story in the midst of a chaotic, heart-wrenching week.

His bride of 2 weeks called Erin at work, informing him that a baby hawk had crash landed in their backyard. The little guy (dubbed Beaky) lay on his back, fluttering but unable to right itself. He messed about during the day until Erin returned home from work. Worrying about predators, Erin gently righted the fledgling and allowed it perch on his arm. Now Erin is a guy with a penchant for winged creatures, you might call them his totem. So the companionship of a wee hawk destined to be a magnificent creature with a wingspan exceeding 6 feet thrilled him to his toes. In his droll manner Erin described it this way: It exceeded expectations for my day.

Despite the bonding and mutual admiration between hawk and man, the little guy was still unable to take flight. Summoned were the ASPCA people who arrived to inspect his physical state - bones, pinions, feathers and make sure he was hydrated and fed. They plan to release him in the same location tomorrow. Hopefully Mama or Daddy Hawk will spot him and assist in his ascent back to the nest.

If I hear more, I'll let you know.

Hawks and Goddess Demotions

Mention of Goddess anywhere in modern media always catches my eye, so when I saw this headline: Nepali "living goddess" fired after U.S. visit, I had to check it out. Sajani Shakya of Nepal was granted the status of Kumari, or living goddess at the age of two. What exactly are the duties of a child goddess? These wee dieties abide in temples blessing devotees until they reach puberty. Then they are able to rejoin their family and lead a normal life. But temple life can be restricting, especiallly for a 10 year-old girl. So she embarked on a trip to the United States. To go to Disneyland? No. To visit Paris Hilton? No. Sajani departed with the best of intentions - to promote a British-made documentary exploring Nepal's traditions and contemporary political turmoil.

Apparently the Kumari management administration didn't care for Sajani's motive. "It is wrong and against the tradition for her to go on a foreign tour without any permission," said the chief of a trust that manages the affairs of Bhaktapur's Kumari tradition. "This is impure in our tradition. We will search for a new Kumari and install her as the living goddess." Hmmm. I wonder if it's against the tradition to accept increased donations?

In other news, as I was watching a replay of a Wimbledon match a plump pigeon interrupted play. The heavy pigeon, swatted about the arena in an attempt to exit the stadium. Apparently the eats at Wimbledeon are pretty good for the pudgy bird oafishly fluttered about for quite a bit. While the proper Brits hemmed and coughed in amusement the commentators seemed perturbed. Where's the hawk? Mary Carrillo asked Luke Jensen. I've heard of Hawk-eye but just a hawk? Apparently Wimbledon employs the services of an, er, professional hawk. Known as the All England Club's Hawk, this raptor is released upon the hallowed tennis grounds every morning to frighten off plump pigeons and other unfortunate avians. Woe to the pigeons.