Nature Happens

University Park resident Hallie Lawrence recently sent me an attention-grabbing e-mail:

I took some amateur pictures of a large red-tailed hawk eating a squirrel on Purdue between Hillcrest and Airline — if you’re interested. It was really cool!

Darn skippy it was. If I hadn’t revealed what the hawk was doing, I doubt you would have noticed the squirrel in the photo at the top of this post. For a more disgusting pic, click to the jump.

By Dan Koller Nov. 23, 2010 | 10:19 am | 10 Comments | Comments RSS
10 comments to "Nature Happens"
  1. mk @ November 23, 2010 at 11:03 am
    I feel bad for the squirrel, but how cool to see a hawk right here in the city, up close & personal, dining out on someone’s lawn. Hawks are gorgeous and I frequently almost drive into ditches looking for them on road trips.

  2. Things to Do in Dallas Tonight: Nov. 23 | FrontBurner @ November 23, 2010 at 11:36 am
    [...] Cities People: The photo on the Highland Park High School mom post and Dan Koller’s stirring piece on nature should brighten your [...]

  3. SAM @ November 23, 2010 at 12:13 pm
    We see this every now and then from our office window. But I was surprised a few weeks back to see a hawk eating a squirrel in a yard in my suburban neighborhood. We stopped and watched him for a little while. He was quite impressive. Unlike mk, I did not feel sorry for the squirrel. We have hundreds of crazy squirrels in our neighborhood who create plenty of havoc.

  4. Beverly on a Budget @ November 23, 2010 at 1:59 pm
    A pair of hawks have been in residence for years now in the communications tower behind University Scooters. Last week a hawk swooped down into our yard for a squirrel. There are two teacup pups that roam their yard two doors down and I fear the worst. Has anyone lost a pet to these beautiful, albeit deadly birds?

  5. Gringo Bling @ November 23, 2010 at 2:27 pm
    Who the Hell feels sorry for squirrels? All they do is try to eat their way into your attic, dig up your flowers, and antagonize your dog. F’ em’.

  6. bm @ November 23, 2010 at 9:34 pm
    Wait! Now he can buy some beer or wine in University Park to go with that squirrel.

  7. Buddy Macatee @ November 24, 2010 at 10:50 am
    Dan, it’s a peregrine hawk, a beautful falcon prevalent in NYC as well as along Turtle Creek. One morning early I watched a peregrine in a cottonwood eye-balling a squirrel hugging the backside of a cedar elm doing its best to avoid a swift demise.
    Buddy

  8. jim hairston @ November 24, 2010 at 10:59 am
    think of it as business! he was hungry!

  9. Rico @ November 24, 2010 at 2:23 pm
    Buddy, I disagree. It’s a Red Tailed Hawk. Head and over all size, among other factors, are a dead give away. I see them nearly every day from my Preston Center office.

  10. former scott #24 @ November 24, 2010 at 10:16 pm
    not as bad as the occasional turkey vulture i see circling my back yard.
    hope its not an omen of further deterioration of the real estate market in the bubble.

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