Snake is Good Eatin'

[Grip_Maker's_Wife]

Snake, it's what is for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This pair of Red Shouldered Hawks has been hanging out in our tree feasting mainly on snakes the past few days. She sure didn't like me taking her photo. She ended up taking the rest of her snake elsewhere to finish. I did not know they were so camera shy!

My camera is over 10 years old so it doesn't have the MB for the best pics especially in zoom but I still enjoy taking pictures.

She looks just a little "pissed". I think she wants to gouge my eyes out.

 

[Grip_Maker's_Wife]

After I posted this, I watched her eat a rat. She scarfed the tail like it was a spaghetti noodle! I don't know if they eat a lot before they lay their eggs but so far I've been impressed with (mainly her) the quantity of food they eat.

It would be neat to have baby chicks in the tree so close. Might be noisy though but probably worth it.

 

[shell627]

If they eat snakes and rats I would want to keep them around !

 

[JayFramer]

Cute birds! Can't say the same for the snakes, though!

 

[shouldazagged]

Red tails also do a nice job of thinning out the gangster city squirrels around my apartment complex.

Squirrels here swagger up to your door and say things like, "Nice place youse got here. Be a shame if anything...happened to it..."

 

[chaparrito]

I don't care how many MB your camera has, those are awsome pics, thanks!

 

[RobertJ.]

Good photos!

A couple years ago I saw a hawk carrying what appeared to be a stick. Then I noticed the stick kept changing shapes! Wasn't a rattler, though, we don't have them in this area.

 

[Grip_Maker's_Wife]

Thanks guys for the kind comments.

I was driving down the freeway the other day and a big Red Tailed hawk swooped down in front of my car. My heart jumped out of my chest as I thought I was going to hit it. It quickly flew up about 6" from my car and had a big snake in its mouth.

We do get rattlesnakes in this area but from the picture, it looks like it could be a gopher or garter snake which is too bad. The Hawks must have found a den of them. I don't mind snakes because they take out the rodents which we get living next to some open space and creek, but the Hawks are doing a great job so no complaints.

The Hawks in the picture are Red Shouldered. They are a little smaller than Red Tail and more colorful. Their breast is orangish tan and they have brown and white speckled designs on the outer wings that are more predominant than the Red Tail. A Red Tail has a white breast.

 

[vonn]

Good pics! Nature at work. Thanks.

 

[nachogrande]

THEY ARE NO JOKE.

Those with small dogs have to keep an eye on them here while outside. It's a good thing those sand hill cranes don't eat meat. My cotton ball with teeth (Pomeranian) is OK with a longer haircut, unless that eagle comes around. A coyote, & he's lunch. He found us after living in the "wild" for some time & was traumatized.

 

[forindooruseonly]

I came here to argue that snake doesn't taste all that good. Having grown up around Rattlesnake Festivals where snake is served up in all sorts of different dishes, I never thought it actually tasted like much.

However, those are great pictures! You're lucky to have the pair around to keep the vermin in check. I agree they are fun to watch.

 

[ancient-one]

Those are good pictures. Thanks for showing them. Across the street from our complex is an open field with a creek and some trees. The hawks sit on the utility poles and scan for food. I have seen them swoop down but never close enough to see what they caught.

 

[snubbyfan]

Nice pics, thanks.
I wonder if it tastes like chicken?

 

[Grip_Maker's_Wife]

Nice pics, thanks.
I wonder if it tastes like chicken?

About 2 decades ago, I tried just a bite of rattlesnake that was cooked over a campfire. From what I recall, it didn't taste like much. It wasn't good and it wasn't repulsive so I would have to agree with forindooruseonly.

There is a delicious restaurant in Torry, UT called Cafe Diablo. They serve up rattlesnake there. They had too many other enticing menu items for us to order it though.

 

[Marshwheeling]

In 1995, my son rode with me out to Sturgis. This was his first road trip on the old Honda CX500 I bought him as a graduation present. He had many eye-opening adventures on that trip. One of the most memorable to me was the biker we encountered in a gas station in Wall who was skinning a rattlesnake in the mens' room sink. It looked like really firm white meat like lobster or crab. I said it looked pretty tasty, and the biker allowed he was looking forward to grilling it over his campfire later on.

I thought this thread might be heading in that direction, but apparently not. Anyway, we were rehashing our memories of that trip not too long ago, but the lad had no recollection of that rattlesnake.