When opportunity knocks, you have to get up and answer the door. When it thumps into your window, however, you might want to reach for your camera.
Paul W. Jensen, internship and placement coordinator in the University of Iowa School of Journalism and Mass Communication, was meeting with Amy A'Hearn, director of professional development and career advisor at the UI Pomerantz Career Center, when a relative of Herky landed on a window sill of the Adler Journalism Building's resource center. The hawk announced its presence with a loud thunk against the glass.
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"It raised its wings as if to fly a few times and then moved along the broadest portion of the ledge," Jensen says. "In the beginning it seemed the bird was watching us watch it. We even made some gestures hoping it would fluff its wings."
Jensen, who worked in photojournalism for several decades before assuming his UI position in 2010, captured the bird in mid-strut using the camera on his iPhone. "Even a veteran photojournalist resorts to the camera at hand," Jensen says.
Jensen made several images with the iPhone and shared them with J-school staff member Jennifer Raghavan, who posted them to the School of Journalism and Mass Communication Facebook page. In short order, a student from the Daily Iowan (located in Adler) noticed it on Facebook and came up to see the bird firsthand. And fans of the Facebook page were quick to "Like" and comment on the photos.
"News travels fast," Jensen says.
The hawk hung around its Adler building perch for some time, leading Jensen and others to wonder if the bird was injured. At one point, Jensen noticed it was hunched over, and moved in for a closer look.
"The hawk was using the Adler ledge to spot its prey," Jensen says. "Good news for the hawk...not for the bunny in its clutches."
