Our sunny Texas subdivision is host to a wealth of wildlife including possums, skunks, snakes, lizards, toads, squirrels and hawks to name but a few!

Today we had the pure luck to witness a meetig of two sharp eyed yard prowlers, a Hawk and a Squirrel…

Below are the photos we took documenting the epic battle of Hawk Vs Squirrel;

Hawk vs Squirrel - The first encounter!

Hawk vs Squirrel - Getting to know each other

Hawk vs Squirrel - Back away, back away!

Hawk vs Squirrel - The hawk appears to have won

Hawk vs Squirrel - Parting is such sweet sorrow!

We saw the hawk return several times and it appeared to be hunting grass snakes, a couple of snakes were snatched up from the grass below and swallowed whole (still wriggling!).

After a quick search we figured out that our visitor was a Red Shouldered Hawk which is common in Texas, below is a closup of one of these beautiful birds;

Red Shouldered Hawk - Common in Texas

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jdn/ / CC BY-SA 2.0

The Red Shouldered Hawk likes to hunt in forested areas and will typically wait on a perch and swoop down on their prey. When hunting in clearings, they sometimes fly low in order to surprise prey. They normally feed on small mammals with voles, mice and chipmunks locally favored. Other prey can include amphibians and reptiles (especially small snakes), small birds, and large insects. During winters, they sometimes start to prey on birds commonly found at bird feeders, such as House Sparrows, Mourning Doves, and European Starlings!
Let is know if you see any Red Shouldered Hawks in your neighborhood, they’re a beatiful hunter and a wonderful creature to observe up close.

Who do you think would win this epic battle? Take our poll…

Martin Around the Earth, Home & Garden hawk vs squirrel, texas hawk