After supper, I was trying to get a little more work done. It was very quiet, the birds had, it appeared, gone to bed early. Usually, there’s a bout of feeding at this time.

Then some movement caught my eye. Truly, it looked like bubbles drifting down into the yard. I snapped out of my work mode, and realized that they were white feathers being plucked in the oak tree above the lawn.

Now, this sort of thing happens from time to time around here, but not right in front of me. All I could think was, it’s getting dark. I got my camera (zoom was somewhere out of reach), and went outside as furtively as possible.

The hawk was smallish, no more than 20 feet away, prepping its dinner. I could see its underpinnings and tail, plus the upturned feet and tail of the prey. After I got a few shots, I asked a family member to bring my tripod, and I moved to get a better angle.

Of course it saw me and took off to finish its meal in peace. The photos I got were really poor, and I can’t identify either bird.