Red-shouldered Hawk dines at our pond

On Thursday while recovering from being sick, I managed to get these photos. These photos were taken from inside so the glass quality is reduced a great deal. If you did not already know I use a 400mm f 5.6 "toy" lens. I read it was called a toy lens because a real lens would be a  400mm f2.8 lens and they cost around $8000 and are very heavy. My lens is a toy because it cost just over $1000 and it is light enough to carry around without a Sherpa or a tripod, yet it produces some really sharp images.

I've been seeing this Red-shouldered Hawk perched on the willows over the pond, usually if I move it flies away instantly. This day it had its prey locked in. Our feeders were still buzzing and there were two squirrels on the porch out in the open. Do the birds and squirrels know something we don't or just oblivious to this hawk.

The Red-shouldered Hawks diet consists of small mammals like voles, mice and chipmunks. They also eat amphibians and reptiles. They will eat birds at feeders, I think they can not chase birds as well as the Sharp-shinned or Coopers Hawks can.  Our cat does pretty well getting voles and mice, and I don't think we have chipmunks. The pond is full of frogs and painted turtles, so to a hawk like this it is a diner.

The hawk grabbed something.

Looks like a small frog to me, a quick snack for a large hawk like this one. We have been known to get Broad-winged Hawks here, they live on frogs practically. It a month the pond will be deafening with Spring Peepers and Upland Chorus Frogs calling by the thousands it sounds like.

I've got things to do, thanks for the snack!