Sharp-shinned Hawk chasing Pileated Woodpecker male
A Sharp-shinned Hawk chases a Pileated Woodpecker in a David and Goliath type scenario, in which the raptor seems to have “eyes bigger than its stomach” as the saying goes. But the predator didn’t have much to lose, and might have succeeded in its hunt. It did not in this instance, seeming to be more of an irritant to the large woodpecker, which eventually flew off. But the Sharp-shinned Hawk also had a go at several smaller woodpeckers in the shape of Northern Flicker, and although it didn’t get a meal there either, at the least it was keeping its pursuit skills sharp. I was fortunate to get this image, as I tried a series without even bringing the viewfinder to my eye, and predictably most were out-of-focus or caught the birds behind a tree trunk. But this one frame was acceptable and conveys the drama of the moment. This interaction unfolded in Carburn Park, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
[There has been no manipulation to bring these two birds into this close juxtaposition — this is how it happened in real life, which involved a fast, twisting pursuit that I managed to capture.]
Sharp-shinned Hawk chasing Pileated Woodpecker male
A Sharp-shinned Hawk chases a Pileated Woodpecker in a David and Goliath type scenario, in which the raptor seems to have “eyes bigger than its stomach” as the saying goes. But the predator didn’t have much to lose, and might have succeeded in its hunt. It did not in this instance, seeming to be more of an irritant to the large woodpecker, which eventually flew off. But the Sharp-shinned Hawk also had a go at several smaller woodpeckers in the shape of Northern Flicker, and although it didn’t get a meal there either, at the least it was keeping its pursuit skills sharp. I was fortunate to get this image, as I tried a series without even bringing the viewfinder to my eye, and predictably most were out-of-focus or caught the birds behind a tree trunk. But this one frame was acceptable and conveys the drama of the moment. This interaction unfolded in Carburn Park, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
[There has been no manipulation to bring these two birds into this close juxtaposition — this is how it happened in real life, which involved a fast, twisting pursuit that I managed to capture.]