Last evening as I left work I heard a scrabbling on the edge of this huge satellite dish behind WQED.  It sounded like claws scratching metal — almost as unpleasant as fingernails on a chalkboard.  The noise attracted the attention of everyone nearby.

The sound was made by a red-tailed hawk who had landed on the dish to hunt rabbits in the weeds below.  Not a good move!   He slid down to the seam and stood lopsided, one foot higher than the other, gripping the edge.

Since he didn’t care that I was watching I took his picture with my cellphone.  (He’s in the exact center of the photo.)

Fortunately it doesn’t matter if he hurts this dish as we haven’t used it for years.  Trees have grown up around it and mossy dirt stains the inside.  Like many defunct structures it’s too expensive to take down, so it’s slowly surrounded by urban wildlife.

And topped off by a dish hawk.

(photo by Kate St. John)