Mother Nature

While you are mundanely walking around Temple University in North Philadelphia, you expect to see nothing out of the ordinary. Squirrels, buildings, pigeons, friends, but yesterday I witnessed something extraordinary--a hawk feasting on its prey, a pigeon.

When I was walking back from class I saw a small crowd of people, staring into a tree next to Beury Hall. After I looked for myself, I saw a hawk perched on a branch picking at something between its pair of claws. By this time, there was not much left of the pigeon except for wing and a little more. Supposedly, the hawk was gnawing on an entire pigeon out near the Bell Tower but he/she moved back behind Beury Hall to a tree, which is where I first encountered the animal.

What was happening before my eyes was something I have never seen before. A bird of prey devouring their victim. It was as if I was watching a live episode of Plant Earth.

One man, who was very knowledgeable about the hawk, was providing me and fellow onlookers with plenty of information about the bird. He was very passionate about this hawk and a little too excited to see the hawk in action.

Since I always carry my camera with me, I was able to snap sweet photos of the hawk's afternoon meal.



^The black thing in the branches below the hawk is a pigeon wing. The red meat is pigeon meat.