The sun chose to shine on me in the afternoon when I took Indy for her walk...she is still a healthy dog and she needs to get some time on her own so I take her for long walks when I get Spanky comfortable enough to be on his own for an hour. So Indy and I went to the little creek near here..its just a wee flow--she likes to wade in it..but yesterday she chose not to.
Meanwhile we spied this dramatic scene going on in the front yard....this area attracts many hawks I presume due to the availability of FOOD (squirrels, chipmunks, birds etc.)
You can see the predicament this squirrel found himself in--the hawk had him in his sights I believe it was my presence that saved his life. Ive seen these guys swoop and take chipmunks away in one quick swift action so I know what expert hunters they are.
This is a coopers hawk, I also see many northern harriers here too...they nest and hunt in this housing development, the developer chose to leave mature hardwoods and build the homes around the trees!! SO this is still a forest--its quite dark under the trees in summer and in fall and winter the leaf cleanup is a huge undertaking by each homeowner. Some have removed the trees but most have kept them. Good news for the hawks.
Amazing story and pictures! So glad the poor little squirrel was spared.
ReplyDeleteWhat beautiful colours in the first two pictures. That hawk is one handsome bird.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beauty that Hawk is! Those eyes wouldn't miss a thing.
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