City Dwellers Meet Tree Dwellers

According to a recent news article, a family of Red Tailed Hawks have taken up residence atop the west wing of Queen's Park legislative buildings.

For those of you not familiar with Toronto, Queen's Park is a relatively large, well treed green space in the heart of Toronto which is the location of the provincial legislative buildings, as well as the traditional home to seemingly dozens of squirrels and pigeons. That was of course until the Hawk Family moved in. Some might lament that the hawks have impacted only the squirrels and pigeons, not the politicians [so far...]

While the squirrels and pigeons might be complaining about how their once safe neighbourhood has now turned dangerous, these new residents, with their astounding air shows, appear to be bringing city and nature closer together. At the very least, these hawks are helping to make people realize and appreciate that even in the man made urban environment, nature still exists.

Unlike most of the things that happen at Queen's Park, there is no politics surrounding the hawk family. They are there, and the squirrels and pigeons increasingly are not, purely because of the laws of nature. For good or bad, these laws of nature, which have existed since time began, are beyond legislative reach.

The best part is that we city dwellers, who at times seem so removed from nature, are now taking the time to at least pause and appreciate the fantastic natural world that surrounds us, once we stop to notice.