Today was the absolute coolest catch I’ve ever seen while hawking.I’ll save you all the boring stuff that led up to Athena ripping this large buck gray squirrel off the side of the tree about 75 feet up.Upon falling the squirrel bit her and wiggled it’s way loose from her talons about 30 feet off the ground. The squirrel then fell out of control through the limbs of the spruce tree with an angry hawk maneuvering and smashing limbs trying to catch up.As Athena finally gained composure and tucked to gain speed the squirrel was able to grab a tiny limb about eye level with me on the spruce tree. Athena angled to crush it as the squirrels weight on the limb swung it down like a rope and the hawk missed.Just then Athena inverted and reached up snatching the limb tip with one foot as the squirrel struggled to climb it like a rope.Athena then alternated feet and climbed the limb reaching the squirrels tail and then it’s hips an then grabbed it’s head with the other.I have never seen a bird with such tenacity and drive before.Yeeehaaaaa nature is amazing Jeremiah Weber
Steve would have liked to have been in on this. It likely reminds him of his Redtail Hawk, Cinnamon, he described in Querencia.