hungry hawk hunting in Providence
© 2013 Peter Green. All rights reserved.

hungry hawk hunting in Providence

Some days, it seems I’m the only person who notices a hawk perched in plain sight…

© 2013 Peter Green. All rights reserved.

Walking in Kennedy Plaza today, I spotted a Red-tailed Hawk in a tree above a bus stop…

© 2013 Peter Green. All rights reserved.

It was only 19 degrees out, so it had one foot tucked into its feathers for warmth…

© 2013 Peter Green. All rights reserved.
© 2013 Peter Green. All rights reserved.

Nearby, people leave food for pigeons, unaware of the fact they are indirectly feeding a wild hawk. As the pigeons fight for breadcrumbs, they are oblivious to the hawk eyeing them…

© 2013 Peter Green. All rights reserved.
© 2013 Peter Green. All rights reserved.

Once it selects a target, the hawk dives at the flock…

© 2013 Peter Green. All rights reserved.
© 2013 Peter Green. All rights reserved.

Pedestrians are unaware of the hawk flying amongst us…

© 2013 Peter Green. All rights reserved.
© 2013 Peter Green. All rights reserved.

Unsuccessful on this attempt, the hawk returned to the trees to hide and try again…

© 2013 Peter Green. All rights reserved.
© 2013 Peter Green. All rights reserved.
© 2013 Peter Green. All rights reserved.

Target selected…

© 2013 Peter Green. All rights reserved.
© 2013 Peter Green. All rights reserved.

…got it!

© 2013 Peter Green. All rights reserved.

After subduing its prey, the hawk carried the pigeon from the sidewalk to the snowy park to enjoy its lunch…

© 2013 Peter Green. All rights reserved.
© 2013 Peter Green. All rights reserved.

…and posed for shocked spectators to gawk in amazement.

© 2013 Peter Green. All rights reserved.

Hawks also help reduce the rat population

© 2013 Peter Green. All rights reserved.

© 2013 Peter Green. All rights reserved.

26 Comments

  1. Donna
    Posted 22 Jan ’13 at 11:28 pm | Permalink

    Peter, these pics are stunning! I was hoping the hawk didn’t catch a pigeon but it was inevitable. Great job! How’s your falcons doing? Almost time again. BTW, I’m from rfalconcam fb page. One of the admins! Keep up the great shots. Be waiting for more. :)

    • Peter Green
      Posted 23 Jan ’13 at 10:57 am | Permalink

      Thanks Donna, I’m still a big fan of the rochester falcons and enjoy following their adventures on facebook. I see the peregrines here perched high on the bank tower, but rarely get to see them up close like the hawks.

  2. Deb Peterson
    Posted 23 Jan ’13 at 7:49 am | Permalink

    Amazing!!

  3. Kathleen
    Posted 23 Jan ’13 at 7:56 am | Permalink

    Great documentation of the the hunt, Peter! The top shot is gorgeous.

    • Peter Green
      Posted 23 Jan ’13 at 10:52 am | Permalink

      Thanks, everyone, it’s still a thrill for me to see the hawks in action

  4. Posted 23 Jan ’13 at 10:36 am | Permalink

    Stunning pics, as usual!
    We are proud to have been the print vendor of choice for
    Providence Raptors in the past, and look forward
    to continuing to meet your needs.

    • Peter Green
      Posted 23 Jan ’13 at 10:53 am | Permalink

      Thanks, you guys do great work!

  5. Chris
    Posted 23 Jan ’13 at 3:56 pm | Permalink

    Such a tremendous documentation of this beautiful bird of prey. There are 2 neighboring Red Tail Hawks where I live and try though I might to capture them on camera, it is difficult to do. Kudos to you for your efforts! Absolutely beautiful!

    • Peter Green
      Posted 23 Jan ’13 at 3:59 pm | Permalink

      Thank you, Chris, I appreciate your compliments sincerely

  6. Vivian Maxson
    Posted 24 Jan ’13 at 11:55 am | Permalink

    Wow, your coverage of this classic battle between predator and prey is truly remarkable. As Chris posted, it is very difficult to capture a good photo and you take not one but an entire series! Well done, Peter! My favorite is the hawk flying amongst the two oblivious pedestrians! My guess is this is a female (because she’s large) and a 2 or 3 yr old (by her eye color). People tend to feel sorry for the prey but do you noice how they always outnumber the predator (30:1) ?

    • Peter Green
      Posted 24 Jan ’13 at 12:15 pm | Permalink

      Thanks Vivian, that is my favorite too – I’m always amazed that I seem to be the only one who notices the hawk. And thanks for your expert ID of the age and sex. It’s a bit sad for the prey, yep, but I’d rather see one less pigeon than a hawk that starved.

      Everyone, please follow Born To Be Wild Nature Center on Facebook to see Vivian’s great work rehabilitating injured raptors.

  7. Karen
    Posted 24 Jan ’13 at 12:35 pm | Permalink

    What gorgeous photos! I would be so thrilled to have witnessed that whole scenario. Thank you for bringing it to us. And I would not have been oblivious, had it happened in front of me!

  8. Posted 24 Jan ’13 at 2:56 pm | Permalink

    Wow, so amazing to see these pics. Thank you so much for sharing. We have a hawk that is working very hard to try and get our chickens the last 3 weeks or so. We also have these big black birds, like ravens that chase it away, they have actually knocked it right out of the sky, when it was flying, I am told it is because they are protecting there own territory, this has been happening every couple of days. This hawk is not afraid of us either, he landed right beside my son, to try and get one of my chickens. Thankfully they have netting over there grazing area. I was wondering if anyone knew anything about why these big black birds go after the hawk this way? It is very fasinating. Thank you

    • Peter Green
      Posted 24 Jan ’13 at 3:18 pm | Permalink

      Thank you, Lynn. You’re correct – crows, grackles, mockingbirds, etc will often chase birds of prey away from their nesting or roosting territory. They can be a bit too wily for the hawk to catch.

  9. Cindy Wall
    Posted 24 Jan ’13 at 3:23 pm | Permalink

    Awesome pictures. A very beautiful young looking eagle.

    • Peter Green
      Posted 24 Jan ’13 at 3:24 pm | Permalink

      hawk ;)

  10. Posted 24 Jan ’13 at 3:31 pm | Permalink

    thanks for the picture of the hawk and black bird, yep that is pretty much what is happening, those black birds will spend hours chasing that hawk. Thanks so much. I am going to keep looking for your pictures, you’re an awesome photographer. :)

  11. Posted 24 Jan ’13 at 5:52 pm | Permalink

    Love your photography of these majestic birds.

  12. Posted 24 Jan ’13 at 10:58 pm | Permalink

    As everyone else said – stunningly gorgeous as usual!

  13. Posted 25 Jan ’13 at 9:51 am | Permalink

    Peter, this is an amazing look into the life of the hawk in our city streets! I was hoping he wouldn’t get the pigeon but this is life…

  14. Graham Batting
    Posted 26 Jan ’13 at 6:25 pm | Permalink

    Every time I check in on your website there is a new thrill to peruse! These are incredible shots!!

  15. marylee humphrey
    Posted 27 Jan ’13 at 4:34 pm | Permalink

    Peter, your photos are always beautiful. When I’m driving home (west on 195) from working the 11pm to 7am shift, I always see a hawk sitting on top of one of the street lights on the highway. I finally saw him in his favorite tree. One of these days, I will stop and take a picture as there isn’t much traffic that early in the morning, especially on a sunday. I’m not sure what type of hawk it is. Of course, my pictures aren’t as good as Peter’s, but he may be able to identify it for me. thank you. Marylee

    • Peter Green
      Posted 27 Jan ’13 at 4:57 pm | Permalink

      Thank you, Marylee. I’d guess you’re seeing a red-tailed hawk – they are very common on lampposts. They often wait for roadkill, an easy meal to retrieve, but unfortunately this leads to many hawks getting hit by cars.

  16. Posted 28 Jan ’13 at 10:39 am | Permalink

    Thank you for sharing your amazing photos and story- very interesting indeed!

  17. Marni
    Posted 30 Jan ’13 at 2:14 pm | Permalink

    Peter, you never cease to amaze me and to show us a part of our world we would never know about, understand or see so closely and beautifully. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences with us.

  18. Kevin
    Posted 15 Nov ’16 at 3:37 pm | Permalink

    Great shots Peter. Such an abundant supply of food for raptors in Providence.

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