FIELD NOTES: Up close with a broad-winged hawk

Leaves rustled in a bush a few yards ahead and to my right as I rounded a bend on the Lake Shore Trail at Frances Slocum State Park. I turned toward the commotion, expecting to see a squirrel pop out and dart across the path. Instead, a small hawk stared back as it struggled to maintain its balance on the thin branches, clearly startled by my sudden close presence.