Success Can be Bitter-Sweet

I've mentioned my friend that hunts with a hawk.  I've been filming with him on several hunts and last Saturday his hawk finally connected!  It was incredible to witness the hunt and to watch how the hawk ate the squirrel.

A successful hunt was the sweet part but I wasn't able to get the "shot"... so that was the bitter part.  I was keeping up with the hawk as we made our way through the woods.  She saw a squirrel on the other side of a clump of trees and my view was totally obstructed.  All I heard was a crash in the bushes and that was it.

I was hoping to get a clear shot of the hawk grabbing a squirrel right off a limb in plain view.  I've seen videos of harpy eagles grabbing sloths off of branches in the canopy of the jungle so why couldn't I get my shot?  I now have a better realization of how much of our wildlife documentaries are staged.  In my birds of prey video I will not try to hide the fact that this hawk belongs to someone and that we are intentionally try to stir up squirrels for her to catch.  I will be honest to the audience.

Posted a few pictures over on the Primitive Tim Facebook page the day it happened.  Here they are!