Broken oak, home

More than a decade ago, this eastern-leaning oak did something extraordinary, when it became the nursery for our local Red-shouldered Hawks. The raptors were extraordinarily successful and fledged four youngsters, who, we hope, may still occasionally be in the neighborhood. But the tree was never used again and earlier this year, I noticed something else: a large crack in the north-facing side of the massive trunk. The oak also seemed to be leaning a bit more, but, without proper measuring gear, I couldn't be sure. What was undeniable, however, was that the crack was lengthening and, by last week, it was a good foot longer than it had been at winter's end. I figured it would still remain upright for a while, and I wasn't too worried about its inclination to topple, since its trajectory would take it out of harm's way deep into the woods. I was wrong about timing, and last night, during a series of downdrafts from a distant series of storms, I heard this strange noise in the dark: a creaking and cracking. Since there was no massive thud, I didn't connect the noises with the tree. Morning light revealed the source of the mystery sounds... and the oak's end.