It may not have been the exact same individual that I photographed today, but a few days ago damselfly was a new photo subject during Stay-at Home Isolation this Summer. Even after I went on to turn my attention to other wildlife, I occasionally glanced back to this string to see if the damselfly had returned for me to photograph. At the time, Bella was the only dog out on the deck with me. She's a great wildlife spotter & helps me with my photography. It was a peaceful evening.

However, that peacefulness suddenly turned into panic. I glanced over to see if the damselfly had returned; to instead see a large red tail hawk sitting on the light post 7 feet directly above Bella. She had no idea it was there. I also hadn't seen it come & land just 10 feet away from where I was standing. The hawk was leaning down and had its eye on Bella. Luckily, she was standing in between the marigold planter boxes and somewhat shielded.

The next seconds were a blur as I started to scream at the hawk & rushed to grab Bella. The hawk didn't move. It just kept its eye on Bella. Bella was frightened by my screaming and moved closer to the planter boxes. That move somewhat protected more. This gave me the chance to get her before the hawk could make a move. With Bella safely in my arms, I continued to scream at the hawk who was close enough for me to reach out & touch it. The hawk just continued to stare at me & made no motion to move. Looking back now, I can hardly believe that my face was within inches of the hawk. I kept screaming at it until the hawk eventually and quite casually flew off.

It took me several days to get over the shock of that incident. The dogs now are no longer permitted to go outside; except to go potty. If the hawk is around, they aren't allowed out at all. If it's not, we still go out with them and then constantly scan the area for the hawk. Sometimes, the raptor pops up almost out of nowhere. This entire situation has been very stressful. No more relaxing evenings on the deck with the dogs. No more outdoors sunbathing for the dogs. They loved to do that on warm days. No more than a few quick minutes outside - being carefully guarded the entire time - for the dogs to relieve themselves.

While we've been outside with the dogs going potty, the hawk has returned twice to sit on our low roof to watch them. The poor girls immediately get rushed back inside. Eventually, the hawk left and found something else in our yard. Or went back to the neighbors' bird feeder to pick off another song bird. I've NEVER before seen such a bold hawk. When you can't see it, it seems to be calling out as it flies low between the neighbor's yard and ours. The calling can go on non stop for hours. That is another experience I've never had with any previous hawk I've encountered anywhere. It's quite unnerving. This hawk obviously has been habituated to people. It has no fear of them.

Anyhow, seeing the damselfly today brought back memories of what happened several days ago and the bad situation we now find ourselves in. Facing COVID fatigue has been stressful enough. Now, I also have to worry about the welfare of my dogs, too.

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*Local COVID News:

"Missouri sees record-high number of new COVID-19 cases. Again for 4th straight day". St Louis Dispatch

*"FRIDAY 3:15 p.m. -- The University of Kansas Health System confirmed the death Friday of a pediatric patient due to COVID-19." KMBC News

*"Health officials warn of COVID-19 outbreak after large high school party in Lee’s Summit" https://www.kmbc.com/article/health-officials-warn-of-covid-19-outbreak-after-large-high-school-party-in-lees-summit/33418449

*"'Core 4' health officials issue letter as KC sees 'dramatic increase' in COVID-19 cases" https://www.kmbc.com/article/core-4-health-officials-issue-letter-as-kc-sees-dramatic-increase-in-covid-19-cases/33418775

Nationwide: Over 74,000 Americans tested positive for COVID during the past 24 hours alone. Death rates are also growing; with many states hitting all time record deaths. Etc, etc, etc. The story is dismal.

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On a positive note, I thank the damselfly the other day for coming around and causing me to "look up" in time... I also thank the damselfly today for posing for me. I had to use a tele photo lens today to fill the frame & I also had to go to old fashioned manual focal. But this damselfly provided me a little variety in my limited photo opportunities; all without any drama today.