Greetings to all folks near and far. I do hope all is well with those who have been hit by the tornadoes, flooding and bad weather around the United States. My heart and prayers go out to you.
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I am a huge fan of the Hawks in my back yard that soar and hover over my little mountain. We have several different species of Hawks and they are all beautiful. The Red Tailed Hawk is my favorite. It is one of the largest members of the Buteo (raptors) genus, which are of medium to fairly large sizes. It has a robust body and broad wings.

The red tail, which gives this species its name, is uniformly brick-red above and pink below. They are beautiful in flight as well as when perching.

Because they are so common and easily trained as capable hunters, the majority of hawks captured for falconry in the United States are Red-tails. Falconers are permitted to take only passage hawks (which have left the nest, are on their own, but are less than a year old) so as to not affect the breeding population. Adults, which may be breeding or rearing chicks, may not be taken for falconry purposes and it is illegal to do so. Passage red-tailed hawks are also preferred by falconers because these younger birds have not yet developed adult behaviors, which can make training substantially more challenging.

The Red-tailed Hawk also has great significance in Native American culture. Its feathers are considered sacred by some tribes, and are used in religious ceremonies.

So, with my love for Hawks, I would like to share with you a "Hawk Nest Watch" in a forum that my friend Jane, BellaOnline's Native American editor, started a while ago. She has a Red Shouldered Hawk pair that built a nest in her yard and they now have two baby Hawks to watch. Jane provides daily updates about how the babies are growing -- she even has some pictures of the darling chicks. Her husband braved the rooftop of their house and a very concerned Momma Hawk so he could get some snapshots of the babies. It is such a joy and we all are so grateful she shares this with us. Now I want to share it with you. You can read about these amazing babies and how they survived the wild fires that came way to close to them. Jane is a wonderful story teller and puts so much emotion and humor into her posts. Just click on the following link to read Jane's story about being a "Proud Grandparent to the baby hawks".

http://forums.bellaonline.com/ubbthreads.php/topics/689999/1
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When I was a kid, the front porch was where the family, and some times neighbors, gathered and chatted about happenings of the day. It was a time to relax, watch the little ones play and just enjoy being with each other. Sometimes we sat out there till the little ones had curled up in someone's lap and fell asleep and the old folks would tell stories about their childhood days. That was life on the front porch -- our favorite time of the day.

My latest article is LIFE ON THE FRONT PORCH. You can read the article at the following link:
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art11058.asp
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Also, come join me in my Folklore and Mythology forum for some great fun -- like jumping in mud puddles!

Till next time, may your home be filled with laughter and may it ring from floor to rafter.

Blessings and may you walk in Beauty and Harmony.
Phyllis
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Please visit folklore.bellaonline.com for even more great content about Folklore and Mythology.

To participate in free, fun online discussions, this site has a community forum all about Folklore and Mythology located here -

http://forums.bellaonline.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=131

I hope to hear from you sometime soon, either in the forum or in response to this email message. I thrive on your feedback!

Have fun passing this message along to family and friends, because we all love free knowledge!

Phyllis Doyle Burns, Folklore and Mythology Editor
http://folklore.bellaonline.com

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