Every once in a great while I miss the "Big One", the great photograph

Every once in a great while I miss the "Big One", the great photograph. I am sure that many of you have done the same thing. Yesterday, we were traveling into the "big city", and as usual, I had one of my cameras with me. It was not in my camera bag, it was not even hidden under anything. It was just sitting in my lap waiting, but I was not ready in time and even though I saw it coming, I knew it was going to be too late, so I just watched and wished and then let it go. A beautiful Red-tailed hawk within the "big city" limits had just plucked a meal from the ground in front of me and as we passed by, it transferred the meal to a waiting hawk sitting upon a wire, and picture perfect. Picture perfect in my memory bank only~ It was all in slow motion, but, the timing was way off for my camera to get anything worth while. All day, I was a little bummed, but happy to have witnessed it. Later in the afternoon, I saw a male Cardinal that had just come from a bath in our creek. It was so wrapped up in preening itself, it never took notice of me. Now then, I must say that a Red-tailed hawk vs a male Cardinal, does not even match up, but for me, it is all about the love of nature, thus, it was a great find. These photographs, show the male after his bath and shaking himself dry. Yes, and he is still molting, though it seems at the end of process~Red-tailed hawk, red male Cardinal, both are a beautiful part of nature, tis a good thing~