Shaking hands with a god

There are many things people take for granted in life...moving about daily you might not even notice the beauty of a hawk literally soaring through the sky. In my wildlife work I am privileged to come face to face with some mighty amazing creatures, but I was unprepared for the awe I would feel facing this girl.
Since we are always short on available rescuers, those of us who wish to, cross train to be able to handle almost any type of animal. I had the rare and awe inspiring opportunity to attend a training course at the Ojai Raptor Center south of Santa Barbara last saturday, to learn how to catch and release, and administer meds and fluids to the mighty birds of prey. The photos here are not the bird I handled (we could not terrify her with cameras as she was actually a wild hawk being rehabbed) but a female the same size and species. Our goal was to catch this wild, beautiful being by both legs, and contain her for examination. I have never felt such power in my life...her feet held the strength of a very, very large man...I'm not kidding. It was an honor to hold you for a moment beautiful girl...and a privilege to learn how to help your kind.