The Jaws That Bite,The Claws That Catch…

He or she dropped out of the sky one recent afternoon, landing with a thump on a patch of grass, with a grey lump of still-living, quivering rat or pigeon in those killer claws. 

I took these (above) photos from the sidewalk near Lehman College in the Bronx. I am no expert at estimating size, but this was a big bird, maybe 16 inches tall or more. Whatever it was that had met its fate gave a wriggle or spasm, and the hawk turned from staring at me to look down at its victim for just an instant, before giving it one final, lethal jab with its beak.

From a killer look to the softly-sweet sound of a little dove: as I sat on the sun-soaked steps of St Nicholas Park, a very different bird came along and waddled around next to me. 

Coo!