Red Tail Hawk

So for the past 9 years I've been driving along highway 7 from Duncan Oklahoma to Lawton. Seven years of that time I went on to Frederick, Chattanooga or Grandfield Oklahoma. Right now I stop in Lawton where I'm the Interim Pastor.
In those years I've driven 250,000 miles.
Along the way I've observed the birds,of varied kinds -- hawks, great blue herons, cattle egret, one eagle, and meadowlarks. I've watched a Hawk next about 12 miles west of Duncan. It's on the south side of the road. Each year I've watched in the spring a beautiful nest and each year there's been a hawk on the nest. Only a few times have I seen one of the pair perched on the side of the nest. Most of the time I just see a head lookout over the edge.
On the way to work today I was approaching the nest ready to look across and see if I could see the bird on the nest. But then, on the side of the road something caught my attention. It was a hawk, red-tailed you could see from the feathers, dead on the side of the road. I immediately slowed down and looked toward the nest...as much as I could...but couldn't see any sign of the bird on the nest.
sigh. sigh...
Hawks have territories so I wasn't sure about if this was one of the pair that had nested. All day with all that went on in the office---I kept thinking about the hawk, the nest, the eggs...
It was a long day about 7:24 I was approaching the nest, this time from the west on my way home. I slowed.... I looked.... was there a head? was there?
Perched on the side of the nest was a red-tailed hawk. I couldn't tell in the twilight if it was the male or the female. But there was a hawk at the nest. There is a chance this brood will make it to maturity.
Funny, how this day was bookmarked by a bird, it's nest, and the wonder of it all. Keen observers what will you see in this new day?

God abide
Bobbie Giltz McGarey
@2009