Southern Crested-Caracara

I should have given a little thought to the poor rabbit, perhaps, its short life cut even shorter by the passing traffic. But I'm afraid to report that my attention was drawn more to two scavengers who had come to feast on the road kill. Today's blip is one of these, the Southern Crested-Caracara (aka Sp. Carancho, Lat. caracara plancus), who had momentarily stepped away from the kill to avoid a passing Landcruiser (which probably makes for a rather more pleasant picture).

I took this picture rather hurriedly, and would have liked to have got closer. This would have been perfectly possible as the birds were wholly engrossed in their lunch but I was suddenly approached by men in military uniforms who appeared out of nowhere, concerned I was photographing the nearby military installations. I think it was the telephoto lens that particularly irked them. They were polite but insistent - no more photos, so I left the Caranchos to their lunch and made my peace with the military. There's been rather too much Anglo-Argentine conflict in the south Atlantic, and I have no wish to add to it.