Watching birds. Sometimes you wait for hours & not much occurs. Other times you arrive & the story is already unfolding. In this case I had barely taken the camera out of the bag when all the gulls erupted in flight & the calls of crows compelled me to start taking pictures. 1/7

A Red-shouldered Hawk had been perched in a tree long enough for the local pigeons to assemble without sensing danger. The hawk pounced, revealing itself to nearby crows who mobbed it as it landed on a pigeon & immediately took off. The crows forced it over the water. 2/7

It had the Rock Pigeon by one leg & one wing, a tenuous grasp. Powering over the water with its wriggling prey, and pressured by determined corvids, the hawk dropped the hapless pigeon into the water and escaped hungry into some sheltering pines. 3/7

To my amazement I looked back to find the pigeon swimming across the pond, propelled by shock, and demonstrating the tenacity so often associated with its species. 4/7

Upon reaching the edge the injured bird was met with curiosity and awe by a group of young kids who had witnessed the proceedings from the shore. I walked around and met with them to help process what happened, being careful not to vilify our raptorial relation. 5/7

Impaled by talons, taken aloft against its will, plunged into frigid waters, & looking like it was on the brink of life or death, I placed the bird in the sun under a tree favored by the Red-shouldered Hawk. Either it would recover & depart, or the hawk would finish its work. 6/7

I returned 20 minutes later & there was no sign of the wounded bird. My guess is once the shock wore off & it warmed up, it found a safe place to heal. The hawk, a healthy bird who didn’t miss many meals, would have another chance soon enough. I’ll post that picture soon. 7/7