Poems and Thoughts    by Frank Maurer

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An Unexpected Attack. July. My grandson, Rowan (5 now), visited me on my farm for another adventure. We were feeding the calf and the emu when suddenly, Rowan discovered scattered, strikingly-colored black and white varied feathers. He began collecting them as any 'nature-child' would do: Many from the body, several from the tail, and one partial right wing, Maintaining the first eleven primary flight feathers. These were all the remains from a preyed-upon Redshouldered Hawk. What on earth had attacked and killed such a top-of-the-chain raptor? Rowan and I discussed together as a five-year-old and a grandfather might do. We slowly agreed that the only possibility was another resident raptor-- Which could be only the summer-roosting Great Horned Owl ! What a perplexing possible event, leaving us both astonished-- Nature around us often comes up with the unexpected. Frank Maurer 12 October 2025 0305 Hours.