The Young Red-Shouldered Hawk

There is a young Red-Shouldered Hawk that has taken to hunting on a fairly regular basis in the wetlands in the park.  It flew in this morning as I was starting across the boardwalk.  After a night and morning of rain, the hawk found a spot in the tree where during our brief period of sunshine, it could warm and dry out. 
It was doing some serious feather spreading and preening.













 After about 10 minutes of drying, something down in the grasses caught its attention.  It leaned forward watching and planning its attack.  Finally the moment of attack and it flew. 

Yes, a poor little sparrow saw its last day but that is the cycle of life.