Saw A Hawk

As Gin & I drove out for supper, a gay pride parade forced us off our usual route and we ended at the Publix grocery store near Five Points.

Across the parking lot Ginny spotted an enormous hawk eating its supper on the pediment of a building. We sat outside watching it for almost an hour.

By comparing the size of the hawk with the width of the casement window below, we determined that it was between 18 and 24 inches in length. Because of the angle we watched from, the bird stood in sharp relief against the sky. It had caught some other bird, a pigeon or dove, and was eating the prey alive even as the prey quivered and fluttered to escape. The hawk held the victim down with its talons and ripped bits of flesh off while loose feathers drifted down from the ledge.

Because we saw the hawk in silhouette against the sunset, we could not make out its markings, but from the profile, we ruled out northern harrier and identify it as either a Cooper’s hawk or a sharp-shinned hawk. Because of the enormous size we’re inclined to think it was a Cooper’s.

Although dozens and dozens of people around us went in and out of the stores, not a single other person stopped to watch the drama being played out just three stories above their heads.