In the most realistic enactment of a National Geographic episode, I just saw a rabbit get nailed by a hawk in our neighbor's front yard.....
I'd been watching the rabbit from the garage for a while, and it was watching me. It's was a much lighter shade of brown than I'm used to seeing, so I guess the local rabbits develop a lighter coat in the winter.
So anyway.....this big, almost white, rabbit was smack dab in the middle of our neighbors brilliant green front yard just minding it's own business, Fat, Dumb, and Happy, when this brown bolt slams down from the heavens.
And I mean it SLAMMED down! I could hear it hit and hear bones crunch. The rabbit jumped a bit, and made some blood curdling noises as the hawk finished putting it down with talons and beak.
The hawk then looked around a bit, clamped on the the rabbit, and lumbered aloft at what was probably a bit over max gross.
Stunning reality check if you think about it, and it happened about 35 feet from me.
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What I've Been Up To....
Started this post on Monday, then came down with a head cold, which is now progressing South. Feeling better, but still a bit woozy...... To...
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NATURE!!
ReplyDeleteKeep this in mind if you have any varmints.
I've seen owls go swooping through the back yard at night, and we hear them quite a bit when we have the windows open.
Delete"Mother Nature, red in tooth and claw."
ReplyDeleteI love teaching moments like this. Especially when it happens right in front of a bunch of leftist bed-wetting pacifistic vegans.
And, well, there can be great beauty in death. And sheer horror.
Glad your grandson didn't see it.
I waited until he was busy before I said anything to my wife. I'm not sure how he'd see it. He lives in the country and he's seen lots of animals. In a way, I think it might be better for kids to see these things well before they learn "cute, fuzzy, happy bunny!". That way they wouldn't have any preconceived notions, and would just accept it as nature.
DeleteThat's as long as any present adults didn't freak out about it, which I think could have a profound effect on him.
Hawks gotta eat. Predator and prey.
ReplyDeleteWe're just spoiled because we're almost always the apex predator.
I've seen hawks in the distance soaring along in big circles, then BAM! They pull their wings in and drop like a rock.
DeleteI've just been in their target area before!
SiG's wife got clipped by some kind of local bird a week or so ago. She's OK, but bled like crazy from the hit to the head.
By fang and claw... :-)
ReplyDeleteBird's gotta eat!
DeleteDoing what nature does. Country kids learn those lessons pretty darn fast. We never hid stuff from our kids, real world.
ReplyDeleteNature can be violent at times. When I was around 8 years old, we were at a relatives summer cabin on a backwater fork of a local river, I noticed the ducks were going under water and not coming back up. I asked my older cousin what was happening, and he he went and took a look. He ran back in the house, came out with his rifle ( ! ), and shot a 4' alligator that was dining on duck. He rowed a small boat out, picked up the gator, and brought it back to shore.
DeleteHe said they had problems with gators because people would buy them from the pet store as hatchlings, found out they got pretty big pretty quick, and dumped them in the river.
It didn't bother me a bit, as I was far more impressed with the fact he got it with ONE shot, from at least 50' away.
And no pictures?
ReplyDeleteEven if I would have had my camera in the garage, I would have missed it.
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