Our old office building was in an office park on the outskirts of town, with a stand of thick pines directly behind the building and a cane field to the side.
One Saturday I was in the office catching up on some work and I went outside for a cigarette. As I was standing in the break area, I caught something moving swiftly out of the corner of my eye and followed it. It was a huge owl (I'm assuming it was a great horned owl) that was diving from the top of the pines into a grassy area at the edge of our parking lot. He plucked what must have been a 3' long snake right out of the grass, and with one fluid continuous movement, banked hard right and up, flapped his wings and floated back into the pines clutching the snake.
I doubt the whole episode took more than five seconds, and although this took place less than 20 yards from where I was standing, it was utterly silent. Of course I've scene things like that on Wild Kingdom, Animal Planet, YouTube, and at falconry exhibits, but to see it raw, up close and in the wild was somehow a completely unique experience.
I saw a hawk grab a baby bunny while I was walking my dog.
I was horrified. I could see the little legs hanging down as it passed over me.
What bothers me is that these birds of prey start ripping them apart before they are dead.I saw that on a webcam last year while monitoring Bald Eagles.I found it very disturbing but am well aware of the balance of nature etc.
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