A red-tailed hawk snatched a hapless squirrel and carried him into a tree next to the Shawnee Creek. In this photo, he appears to be severing the squirrel's jugular with his beak.
I must have spooked him when I took his pic, because he flew out of the tree and landed on the creek bank, where he began extracting and eating the squirrel's entrails. Strangely enough, while he was dining, he allowed me to get quite close - within ten feet.
I probably could have gotten even closer, but I didn't want to press my luck and have him fly away again.
Nonetheless, he kept a wary eye on me, looking up from his meal every few seconds.
His beak began turning crimson from the squirrel's blood.
Bloodier and bloodier
I watched him for at least 15 minutes but finally backed away to allow him to finish eating his kill in peace. Although it may seem that Mother Nature is a cruel mistress, this is just the way of things.
This episode reminded me of a line from one of Jack London's novels: "Kill or be killed, eat or be eaten."
