Walking with my daughter around our neighborhood, a few days after Christmas, we heard a commotion among the local crows, which frequently signals the presence of a predator in the vicinity. We didn’t have to look far to find him. He suddenly zoomed across our field of vision and settled in a tree about fifty yards ahead.

As we approached, he swooped off, but didn’t go far. Another swoop and he landed in another tree just ahead on our walking route and settled there. He was on a limb, maybe ten feet up, hanging over the sidewalk.

This time he let us get closer, closer…and then we walked right beneath him. He must have noticed us, but it didn’t bother him. He sat there and watched as we not only walked just a few feet below him but stopped to turn around and take pictures.

Have the hawks figured out that people who live in suburban areas aren’t really interested in harming the local wildlife?

(Click on the picture for a larger, clearer version.)