The Cycle of Life

I deeply apologize if any of the images in this collage offend or disturb you. It is my wish to educate, not to disgust or horrify any of you. *bows head in respect*

I have posted a couple of pictures in the past of one of the Cooper's Hawks that live in our area, and about once a week we'll find one on one of our bird feeders or our porch railing, hoping for a bird to fly into its beak! (By the way, I originally incorrectly identified this bird as a Sharp-Shinned Hawk. It is actually a Cooper's Hawk! Thank you Paul Hauber for your keen eye! :D Now that I think about it, it's definitely larger than the diminuative, but similar-looking Sharpie! :) To illustrate why it's easy to confuse these two birds, take a look at this wonderful picture from Wiki! Side-by-side comparative illustrations of a Cooper's and a Sharp-Shinned Hawk..) I'd also like to give thanks to the gang over at BirdForum, who are always so fast and helpful with identification and confirmation!

On this day, I came downstairs first thing in the morning and found a Sharp-Shin content and happy near a feeder, and you can see one of the pictures I took on the upper left of this collage. In the afternoon, I went into the kitchen for a snack and did a double-take...the Sharp-Shin was back, and to my amazement, it had a catch on top of the feeder! As I quietly took pictures, I realized that it caught a vole or mouse, not a bird! That actually made us feel better because we dearly love our avian friends who visit every day!

The upper right and lower left show the hawk eating its meal, and finally, on the lower right, the last of the vole has disappeared down the hawk's throat and it took off just a second later.

I hope that this collage isn't too disturbing to see. It shows the cycle of life and is a reminder that just outside, it's a very dangerous place for the small animals that live here. At the same time, it is an incredible thing to witness the cycle of life taking place before our eyes. This experience was amazing to me and I feel so lucky to have gotten pictures too. I've always wanted to live in the country side, next to wilderness and near animals I would never see in a city. I love to watch the animals here and see how they behave. It's very special to be in a place where you get the chance to see the joy of new life, and although it's very sad for the vole, it was fascinating to witness this successful kill and to imagine the possible baby chicks this meal would help to feed! :)

If you would like to know more about Cooper's Hawks, you can find a great source of information here: Wiki: Cooper's Hawk.If you would like to know more about Sharp-Shinned Hawks, you can find a great source of information here: Wiki: Sharp-Shinned Hawk.

This image was taken in April, 2012.