Saturday, September 27, 2014

Corralitas Drive: Rat Catcher

Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 26, 2014.  One of the very large Red Tailed Hawks landed in the tree next door with a creature in its talons.  (Click on photos to enlarge.)  

I had run outside with my camera because two of the large Red Tails were calling excitedly & swooping low in my yard.  This usually is the sign they've caught a meal.
Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 26, 2014.  It wasn't until I looked at the photos, I could tell that breakfast was a tree rat.  (This is one more reason not to use rat bait/poison.  It works its way up the food chain and is causing harm to predators.)
Photo: Diane Edwardson, September 26, 2014.  The juvenile Red Tail landed in the tree the adult just left behind.  Clearly, the adult was keeping the rat for herself.  The youngster kept calling from the tree then chasing after the adult for the next 10 minutes.   

Read more about anti-coagulant rat poison: Urban Carnivores

Save the date! Ojai Raptor Center Open House Sunday October 26, 2014