On my way to work this morning I was amazed to see a redtail with a large rat in its claws being chased by another redtail and two small falcons of some sort with several other small birds tailing. The redtail with the rat flew close enough in front of my car on a cloverleaf that I put on my breaks to prevent hitting him. That was when I noticed what was happening. The first small falcon kept trying to make the redtail drop the rat. The second falcon harassed the second redtail. The whole thing was amazing.

I am hopeing that this does not indicate a shortage of food for hawks this year. I have read that mice and other rodents can retard or reabsorb young when the food is scarce. We had a wet period early followed by very dry very hot weather. Many of the weeds have not produced their regular amount of seeds. I can not feed the hawks directly but perhaps I can feed their prey.