Adventures in Urban Life

[sarahmichelef]

When I left to go run some errands at about 2, there was a raptor of some kind with a freshly-killed squirrel in his talons in our back yard. I was about 10 feet from him when I noticed him - certainly the closest I've ever been to a bird of prey in the wild. We watched each other for a minute and then I said to him, "Got a snack there? Ok, well, please don't leave it in my yard."

An hour later, I came home to find him in the next-door neighbor's front yard. I jumped out of the car and ran in to get the camera. When I started to approach him to get a shot, he took off, but landed just across the street. Once there, he was willing to let me approach (again, to within about 10 feet) and take a bunch of shots.

Watching him watch me was pretty intense... he's beautiful, and there's just something very wild about a bird of prey with their catch in their talons, staring you down.

Comments

[brewergnome.livejournal.com]

Broadwinged hawk maybe? His tail isn't banded like a red-tail's.

He's GORGEOUS.

[alphasarah.livejournal.com]

Yeah, he doesn't match the red tail pictures I found. But his belly isn't banded like a broad-winged hawk ought to be (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broad-winged_hawk) though he could be a juvenile, I suppose (http://www.pbase.com/airlinerphotos/image/20573983)

[brewergnome.livejournal.com]

You're right...

Though with that much white on him I'd put money on him being a juvenile of something.

If he were jsut a little darker he could almost be a young golden eagle...

My money's still on broadwinged... Where exactly are you living these days? It could almost be a Ferruginous but not on the east coast...