I released a live trapped gray squirrel at the edge of a grassy field and
from behind me a redtail immediately came upon the squirrel. The redtail
made two passes and both the times the squirrel lept sideways, spinning
almost 270 degrees to zip off in a new direction. A second redtail showed up
(perhaps the first ones mate) and they both dove several times at the
squirrel. At one point the squirrel took refuge under some brush while one
of the hawks hovered overhead. It was another 100 feet or so to some trees
and the squirrel finally made a zigzag dash for the trees. As it changed
direction it would flip its tail the opposite direction of the cut. The
second hawk, which I lost track of, was perched in the trees and made a very
direct drop right on the squirrel. Since the two hawks did not "argue" over
the spoils, I assume they were a pair. While it had not been my intention to
feed hawks, it was certainly cool to watch the drama.

Rob Sandelin
Naturalist, Writer, Teacher
Maltby, WA

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