Recently the Cooper's has been feasting on baby Black-bellied Whistling Ducks. We had a clutch of 16 babies last week and today they are down to only 5. But baby ducks aren't the only birds they are going after. My friend Bill Kominsky captured some great shots this week of a Cooper's eating a full grown Common Moorhen. The photos below are not for the squemish and hopefully the warning helped. In the last photo you can even seen the entrails hanging out. Cooper's Hawks are beautiful birds and certainly skilled predators. I love to watch them no matter what they're doing. I'll take them perched in a tree or on the ground ripping apart their dinner. Regardless, these birds are fascinating to behold.
All photos taken by Bill Kominksy at Green Cay Wetlands, FL
2 comments:
I face the challenging topic of the food chain often in the science class I teach. I always ask the kids to think about how bad they would feel if the predator were to starve. Whether it's a hawk, killer whale or a grizzly bear hunting for her cubs, it may not be pretty - but it's a balance that must be kept!
Photos like this are my favorite. But I respect people that don't want to see it all the time, so I put a warning up. And yeah, putting the spin on it helps when you're teaching. Most people don't think of it that way.
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