The glory of a hawk

[crowdog66]

Today as I was coming home from the grocery store I discovered something wonderful: we have a hawk in our neighborhood. At least I think it was a hawk; it was small and variegated brown, whatever it was, a little smaller than a crow and clearly a predator. As I approached the front steps of our building it uttered a thin high-pitched cry and took off from the concrete beside and behind the main steps, taking wing to a nearby small tree.

So of course I had to look where it came from, already knowing what I'd find. Yep, a mostly gutted pigeon.

First, the scene of the crime:



Then the pigeon itself:



And a final shot of the strangely beautiful composition of the scene:



I didn't see the hawk when I came out again to take the photos. I hope I didn't scare it away from its hard-won dinner.

And now some cuteness to offset the gore...

/ / / /

Comments

[elaryn.livejournal.com]

Clicked your dragons.

Yes, oddly compelling. I feel a strange mixture of pity for the pigeon and wanting to cheer the hawk.

[metisbutterfly.livejournal.com]

Clicked your dragons....
Interesting about the hawk. That's my friend's spirit name, Sitting Hawk.

[lenora-rose.livejournal.com]

Pointy wings or rounded? Pointy means falcon, rounded means one of two types of hawk.

There are a small ton of merlins (A type of falcon) in the city (though not in winter usually), and while they're about the size of a pigeon themselves, they're fully capable of taking one down. Branwen and I came upon one in a similar pose at the University. It didn't leave, though; it glared at us form on top of its dinner. I've also seen one dining in a tree.

[crowdog66.livejournal.com]

Hmmm... by those descriptions, what I saw was a hawk.

Very pretty beast it was, too. :-)

[lenora-rose.livejournal.com]

Cool! I've seen three types of falcons within Winnipeg over the years but no hawks within city limits. Lucky you.

[metisbutterfly.livejournal.com]

PS.
I asked my partner about this and he said, given your description, very likely a hawk. He said there are a few of them in the city. He grew up in primarily rural Northern areas, so is quite familliar with hawks.
He also added that they LOVE de pigeons.