The hawk and the mouse

If this majestic hawk is looking a bit smug, it is probably because he (or she) just finished lunching on an unfortunate field mouse. When I first spotted him I was returning to my car, really happy with the photos I had taken in the park. When I glimpsed this huge bird sitting on a post in plain sight and only about 20 feet off the trail, I couldn't believe my eyes. I thought at first that it must be a decoy placed on the post by some practical joker to trick me, but then I saw the head turn, and realized I was staring at a real live hawk, one that was preoccupied with his search for lunch and not in the least concerned that I was a stone's throw away, snapping off shot after shot. With my camera on continuous shooting mode, I fired off about 150 frames, watching in amazement as he spotted, captured, and ate his lunch. For the mouse, the story had a tragic and somewhat bloody, ending. The hawk, on the other hand, was satisfied with his lunch, and the amazed photographer headed home happily after  her exciting hour of trailwalking.  

I will post the other pictures from this encounter on my blog tomorrow with the caveat that, while they are fascinating to see (for bird watchers and photographers), some of them are hard to look at, especially if you have a soft place in your heart for poor little field mice. 

On another note, I enjoyed a great trailwalk in the Arboretum yesterday with my grandson Michael, but I haven't had time to process those pictures yet. Tomorrow I will post a backblip or two from that walk.