Following my previous post on the Red-Tailed Hawk family on Governors Island, here are some photos showing a dinner sequence.
Dad had caught a rat and delivered it to a fledgling, who was perched on the roof of a building.
That's a big rat!
Dad flew overhead, checking to see how things were going.
Warning - the following images are a bit gory.
I watched as the fledgling hawk managed to skin the rat and turn it inside-out. I've seen young hawks do this before, but this time was pretty impressive as the rat was so large.
Normally, hawks tear away pieces of their prey and eat small bites. This hawk, however, ate the furry skin in one big chunk, then tried to swallow the whole rat, which didn't go so well.
Unable to gulp down the entire rat, the hawk pulled it out of its mouth and dropped it in the gutter. Frustrated and crying, the fledgling didn't seem to know what to do.
Mom (blue band 42A) flew in to assist.
She pulled the rat out of the gutter and I thought she would feed the kid, but she decided to eat it herself, starting with the tail.
You can see the fledgling's crop is bulging, so apparently the rat pelt was enough to tide it over as it did not protest when mom ate the rest of the meal.
Just as she finished, dad flew in to check for leftovers.
Unfortunately for him, there was nothing left.
Both the fledgling and dad watched as mom took off.
This is a closer image of her, showing her bands.
I had to leave for the day, but I'm glad to have observed this interesting family gathering.
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