First Excitement, and Then Deep Sadness~

For so long, I have desired the chance to view and photograph an owl, a Great Horned Owl, Great Gray Owl, Barred Owl...really any owl.   What took place yesterday in broad daylight gave me this extrodinary opportunity.  The first few minutes I was excited, and then I became more anxious as the next five hours unfolded.  By the end of the day and into the evening and even this morning, I felt deep sadness and yet...this is nature, this is the beauty and the cruelty of it and all must be accepted and come to terms with what we cannot for a minute change.  Here is the story as best I can relate it to you~

Great Horned Owl had just landed this immature Red-tailed Hawk around 2:15 PM on the January 21.  My husband had walked our dog about 30 minutes earlier and the hawk was not there...

Owl leaves the kill on the ground to come after our German Shepherd and us as well...not a fun moment, yet thankful for these images all the while...

The Owl flew past me and it was so close, it was crazy...

It then landed in a tree about 1/2 acre across our creek, where upon the Red-shouldered Hawks and Crows began to chase it.  Crows and hawks chased it for over an hour before retreating.  I am nearly 100% that this was a female owl.  In the hawk and owl world, the females are the largest of the pair.  The owl would fly further and land once again to the loud yells of the hawks and crows.  It was all very surreal, just could hardly believe what was taking place, yet kept up with them for the whole while...

Top two images is the adult female Red-shouldered Hawk that I have had pleasure to journal and photograph since 1996.  She along with the adult male and the young one all were chasing and yelling at the owl, along with about a dozen large Crows...

Another one of the Red-Shouldered Hawks in on the chase...

The owl finally ducked into the snow covered fur trees and from then on, it became quiet. The first thing that happens after an owl attacks usually from behind, is it removes the head.  The tail feathers are indicative of an immature Red-tailed hawk.  The nice red tail colouration comes in the second year. This was an absolute fresh kill, as I looked it over, fresh blood was still evident dripped near by as well as the limbs were still easily moved as well as warm to touch, even though the temperature was 20 ' and the wind chill even colder...

Top 2 images below are of the Great Horned Owl being chased by the Red-shouldered Hawks and American Crows...

My husband saw a smaller bird fly by our patio doors around 7:15 PM, in the dark of evening.  We turned off the lights and observed the owl eating from the shadows of the outside flood light for nearly half an hour.  As I approached the area with flashlight, I watched as an owl flew into a nearby tree, somewhat smaller than owl earlier in day...quite possibly this was the male then.  He thought that it may have been the owl fly by, but could not get over the size thing and so after the owl had left, I took a flashlight outside and my tears began to roll, for I knew right away what had most assuredly taken place...

Last images taken of the single eyas, juvie, immature Red-shouldered Hawk that so many cheered on from my blog this past season.

My husband had seen the young Red-shouldered Hawk make it's last flight as the owl came after it and caught it right at the very edge of our deck rail.  Two more feet, and the hawk may have been saved, yet that was not to be.   Nature is not always happy, yet it is balanced.  As I said before only about 10 % of young Birds of Prey make it to their second year.  It is the way of nature and we can do what we can to protect and then we have to just let go.  A friend that I shared a blanket permit to rehab and release small mammals with once told me that "Mary, you cannot take them from the cradle to the grave" and I have understood that for a very long time, and I must confess that it also never gets any easier~