Carnivore

I spotted motion in the big tree outside my office window. When I first looked I didn't see anything so I thought I was just seeing the old wavy glass causing an illusion as I moved my head. Then it happened again and I saw a hawk with striped tail feathers. I watched for a bit and then when it seemed like he was staying put I ran to get Bill. Bill suggested we go upstairs and watch him up close. Lily followed too. The hawk was only a few feet away from us! He was perched on the branch with a starling carcass in his spiny yellow claws. His tail feathers were rocking to keep his balance on the branch. He tugged bloody red meat out of the dead starling's head, chomping down on its little yellow beak. Then the hawk looked up and opened his beak a few times. Bill said he was probably burping! But a moment later he spit out the yellow beak. Then the hawk ripped the starling's black feathers off with a muscular plucking motion like he knew what he was doing. Then he found even more meat to eat off of the tiny bird. I was thinking the hawk looked so well-dressed for such violence! We hunted down our bird book and determined we had just seen a red-shouldered hawk, too young to have his red shoulders yet.