Nature, red in tooth and claw

OK, I get it ... predator and prey. But does it have to be in my front yard?

Saturday morning, the lawn was covered with bird feathers, probably California quail. I blamed it on the long-hair black&white cat that prowls the neighborhood, in violation of city laws.

Sorry, cat.

An errand brought me home at 2:30 p.m. today, to find a red-tailed hawk offing a pigeon, right in front of my house. Hawkeye carried the pigeon, in a combo of flying and hopping, to the far end of my driveway. When I eased the car into the drive, it hauled lunch out of sight down the side of the garage, under the bushes.

I've seen, twice, a huge hawk perched atop the utility pole across the street, but today's gourmet was smaller.

As I left, the hawk was dining in the shadows.

Ah, spring.

Ah, hawks. Better it eats the pigeons than quail or mourning doves. Sparrows and finches are too small to bother with, right?

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