Young Red Tail, Mid-Meal

My son and I were birding in Central Park. We'd just left an area where the adorable Tufted Titmouse and White-Breasted Nuthatch will come and take seed from your hand. Deciding that we'd try our luck at the usual spot for owls, we rounded a turn and there it was - this hawk with an extremely fresh kill. We stayed for almost an hour as the hawk devoured the squirrel. More mature hawks would circle over and the bird would stare at them with an intensity bordering on fury. It could not have cared less about us, and let us get super close (about 5 feet). A pack of squirrels came upon the scene as if to mourn their colleague. Life and death, a full experience of the natural order, right in the heart of the biggest and busiest city in the world. A life-altering moment.