I was on the way home last Friday when I saw this shape and thought “that looks like a bird”. Looking closer this hawk was having a wash in the puddle - pictures 2 & 3.
I had never seen that before so I started watching. Then the hawk stepped from the puddle to a smaller one and suddenly he was eating this snake. Poor snake!
Having eaten the snake the hawk jumped onto the rock behind, pooped (no pictures) and flew off.
Is this a composite: No
Wonderful behavior caught! How did he manage to shallow it – from the middle? I hope it wasn’t venomous. I always wonder how alive some things might be when they hit a stomach.
Yes, I suspect the snake may have still been alive, poor thing. Later shots in the sequence show just a bit of the body and head protruding from the hawk’s mouth. The hawk ate him entirely from tail to head.
Hi Eduard
Great nature interaction series of photographs. You just never know what is out there to photograph and some days Eduard you get to come with shots like these. Nice work.
Peter
A very neat series, Eddie. I’ve seen Kestrels eat snakes quite a few times, but not a Red-tailed Hawk. Interesting that it started at the tail. All the images are interesting. I don’t know if you can, but if the rock in front of the bird in the first one could be burned down and the bird brightened a bit, I think it would be an improvement.
Wonderful catch!!! Wonderful subject for video!
