Everything’s got to eat.

It’s a bit of a slow week here with the Holidays and it’s been nice to have a few free moments to sit and reflect.

The other day I was sitting and looking out the office window and noticed all the birds in the back yard looking upset and agitated. I wondered what was going on and opened the living room shade and looked straight down outside right below the window to see what all the fuss was about. There was a falcon sitting and eating a black bird while I, and a yard full of birds watched. He was about 3 1/2 feet from me and I managed to slip away and come back with the camera to get a few photos. It was hard shooting through the glass but a few came out OK. He was surprisingly small but very powerful looking and seeing a wild creature do what he is designed to do is awe inspiring. After taking a good number of photos I knew were mediocre I tried to ease the other window shade open to get a better line of sight but he spooked and took his catch and was gone. Just seconds later all the black birds came back to the feeders near the house like nothing happened and the only sign of the incident was the pile of feathers and prints in the snow. I was lucky to see it.

Now to get back to work on the bikes and getting ready for the upcoming show.

Dave

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One response to “Everything’s got to eat.”

1. John says:

   December 31, 2011 at 4:53 pm

   Wow… that’s awesome. (appropriate but over used word). Not being an ornithologist (can hardly spell it), I wonder if it is a Paragon Falcon?

   I experienced something very similar to that, but it was a Bald Eagle eating a bird (a mud hen) that it had plucked from the lake. I could hear the sound of the bones being cracked and crunched as the Eagle ate it prey.

   Thanks for sharing.