Trials of Life…In My Front Yard

I so wish I had a good pic for you but it was dark this morning and the Crackberry just was not cutting it. I think this may have been what I saw (I had a pic here but the site decided I could not use it eventhough it was probably the most traffic they’d in ages) but it seemed larger to me. I may have to keep looking. The other possibility was a juvenile bald eagle.

So, I am getting ready to leave this morning when I happen to look out the front window of the house. Through the sheers, it looked like a large-ish bag or medium sized dog was in the front yard. I went to the window for a closer look. There was HUGE bird sitting next to the oak tree in the yard and a squirrel seemed to be yelling at him. At first, I thought that it was injured, because it was just standing/sitting there. Then…I saw it. He/She had a smaller squirrel in it’s talons (yes talons, I am telling you this thing was big). The my heart hurt a little because the squirrel was probably a young one and the squirrel in the tree was upset at the killing of possibly it’s kin (I really don’t know if squirrels rally around another that falls victim to a predator, I am just describing what I saw).

Anyway, after about a couple minutes, it flew off to another tree to have it’s meal. I know, it’s nature and all and I am an omnivore and it shouldn’t bother me but it did but I also loved the majesty of the bird. It actually scared me a little with it’s glare and ability to take down it’s own food not to mention that it was the size of a small to medium dog. I do remember a large bird hanging out in the trees at the end of our street and many birds to return to the same areas so maybe it is the same one that I have seen in the past. This also may be the reason that the rabbits have not been hanging around as much.
  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/14933103811088365332 Brian in Mpls

    One of the worse stories of my life was sitting on a deck with my little cousins and watching a hawk take off with a little barn kitty talk about being devastated

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/06611804749003805841 HappyHourSue

    Yikes- keep the kids inside!!!!

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/11027061380778030388 Rhea

    If I was a rabbit (or a squirrel or a small dog or cat), I’d run from that big bird too. Yikes.Very majestic though, like you said. Wow. There’s something amazing and yet sad about the cycle of life.

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/12876721918832910737 Capricorn

    squirrel: your on my branch, are you fuckin kidding me!

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/10738126061643732991 leezee52

    It’s so sad :(

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/15634829064005032831 Kat

    Having lived in house “infested” with squirrels, say thank you to the bird gods. You cannot get those suckers out. And then they eat your insulation; your metal pipes; your wiring. Bad, bad news. So, when we bought this house, you don’t know how THRILLED I was to find not only hawks in the trees, but owls. In a year and a half, I think I’ve only seen 2 sqirrels – and we live in a VERY wooded area. I’ve seen lots around the neighborhood – but not in my culdesac.And last night…the owls were in full vocals. Freakin’ loud. I think I might have heard something “intimate.” Shudder…

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/03040475544263267089 Judy Haley (coffeejitters)

    the old circle of life can set your head spinning at times eh?a friend of mine had their little chihuahua taken by an eagle.

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/16794387734217000502 Los

    There’s a hawk that hangs out in the trees on my friend’s property … he had to put fishing line across his pond, because the hawk kept swooping down and taking his koi.

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/12114563296300136523 Caffeine Court

    Poor little squirrel. We have turkey vultures in my area. They are so primative and freaky. They scare me!

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/17444789984737988038 Cherlyn

    Now that I’m done giggling at J’s comment…Holy crap, that would’ve freakied me out.

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/06254892316444101203 Lindsay

    I could’ve used him last Christmas when the stupid squirrels were eating my lights.I’m always amazed when I see a huge bird of prey. They’re so majestic and almost otherworldly. Speaking of Trials of Life, I always enjoyed watching that series. David Attenborough rocks!

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/14660401535856930165 kccat

    Wow, that is freaky. I hope you don’t have any small animals.I have seen one bird attack, swoop down and pick up another bird. That was freaky.

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/06476595338905840856 Mrs Parks

    I feel the same way.When Pat the cat comes across the pasture with a rat it make me a kinda sad.I think having the visual of a vibrant (little) life becoming another critters snack is what makes the difference between sitting down to eat a chicken leg at the kitchen table and seeing a squirrel getting whacked in the front yard

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/11724526923343865256 EmBee

    My daughter is totally into birds of prey… She would’ve LOVED to witness this as she’s already gotten video of a hawk tearing into a morning dove… I know, she’s not exactly a girly-girl. :-)

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/15792389491137279542 Muffy Willowbrook

    YikeS!!!

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/15792389491137279542 Muffy Willowbrook

    You won’t believe this, but I saw a hawk this morning in my front yard too.

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/01236800337746995879 Linda S

    We get them in our back yard an they just stare at us…very scary…

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/16459128354316846076 Kristen Andrews

    yikes I probably would have cried and then thrown something at him, I know it is nature but it would have killed me. My greyhound got a rabbit in the yard and I was devestated for weeks, not kidding. I have a bleeding heart for animals.

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/14428674663127912455 Susie Harris

    Cant wait to see what you do with your cheese trays~

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/11421804696146084068 Candid Carrie

    I hate the circle of life. I’d love to be all “hakuna matada” but I don’t roll that way. Two nights ago I heard what I am guessing used to be) a cat getting killed. I didn’t want to write about it over at my lilly white place so I thought I’d bloody it up over here! No, I didn’t come over here to write about it for real. But since you were on that subject any way, I couldn’t exercise any self control at all. We’ve got coyote and fox and I don’t know who is the actual murderer for sure but CSI Sheboygan is still investigating things here. I can’t wait until PETA takes the yellow caution tape away from our driveway. Two years ago this October I pulled our first cat in from our woods, pulled off 30-some ticks, had his nuts chopped off and got him microchipped and named him Kevin. Now we have six more cats and I can’t save the world. Hakuna matada, my ass.

  • http://www.asthmagirl.com Asthmagirl

    That can be really hard to watch. We’ve seen some hunting activities here, but never the actual eating.

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/07635883243058872110 Tiffany

    I am so not a bird person. This would so freak me out.My mother in law as a hawk that hangs around her place, and one day I was in the bathroom, heard something on the roof, looked up to see him pecking at me through the skylight…AHHHHHHHH!

  • http://www.blogger.com/profile/10023417839687501752 Snooty Primadona

    Okay. So, I just need to get a nice pet eagle to rid me of my squirrel problem. I’ve tried everything else, lol.