A little lunch

It was time to head home. I cut past Tanner's Spring. There was a youngster I've seen before.  Watching, studying movement. In a split second hawk dove to ground and grabbed a bunch of leaves. That's what my eyes saw, dead leaves. Hawk flew to nearby tree. Blue jays didn't like that.  I tried to see what the catch was. I couldn't see, but the camera did. Look at right side of branch under hawk , mouse nose.

Lots of leaves. Still could not make out what had been caught.  Camera got it though. Mouse.

Oh, no!  Dropped mouse.

There's only one thing to do when lunch gets dropped. Go retrieve it. Look at hawk's right talon. Crunched lunch. Hawk stayed on ground for two full minutes looking around, making sure there was safety.

Mouse under right foot.

All safe. Time to dine. One gulp.

All safe?

Time to move.

Back to first branch and more looking around. One mouse does not a big meal make.

It was fascinating watching the behavior. Lots of looking before making the catch.  Two minutes on ground before flying to branch. Two minutes on branch till lunch fell down. Two minutes on ground looking all around. Two minutes on dining branch. Everything done with caution. And patience.   The camera saw the small details that my eyes didn't grasp. The camera records the time of each shot. That way, after the fact, I could see the two-minute pattern. This gorgeous youngster is surviving the winter, honing skills.