Every once in a while I’ll notice a dead bird carcass in the backyard. As I have a feeder, I have a number of birds visit daily. They are, of course, a pleasure to watch; however, it becomes a feeding ground for those who like birds for other reasons, mainly food.
On occasion, when I’m lucky, a hawk will stop by; however, this morning that was not the case. While Hobbs was out looking for the perfect place to make his contribution to the recycling effort, I noticed a regular visitor.
This cat can be seen on the prowl almost daily, stalking the birds near the feeder. The birds are pretty much aware of him, but every once in a while, he gets one of them. Usually, as soon as I walk out of the door, he’s gone. This morning, he was far enough away, on the neighbor’s fence, that I didn’t spook him. He stayed long enough to let me get my camera and take a few shots. This was an ideal hiding spot. He was partially obscured by the tree and had a direct line of site to the bird feeder, which, if you followed the fence would be directly down the fence line to the right.
One time I let Hobbs out, he caught site of the cat, gave chase, and cornered him at the front of the house. I had to pick Hobbs up and take him back in the house. He’s no match for this fellow, to be sure. The last thing that I wanted was to have to rush Hobbs to the vet with several claw lacerations all over his body! Hobbs is a lover, not a fighter. Like most Schnauzers, he has a big heart and is brave to the point of stupidity. That doesn’t make up for fighting skill! 
I kept changing angles to get different shots, getting ever closer. Finally, he’d had enough and decided to go hunt elsewhere … at least until I went back into the house.
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2 Responses to “Ambush”
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Hi Paul,
Sometimes I find clumps of feathers on our properity where a kill has been made by an unknown preditor. I usually don’t find this in our back yard, which is fenced and patrolled by our dog ‘Foster’ as his own. He’s a gentle soul but being a Basset Hound/Golden Retriever mix there’s strong hunter instincts in him, as a few unfortunate rabbits who ventured into “his” backyard discovered the hard way.
I initially wondered how Foster, with his short little Basset legs, could catch a rabbit until I happened to see him give chase one day. He’s got a whole other top gear when he’s after prey.
Humm…much like the rest of us when we’re pursuing things we really desire, we can exceed our “normal specifications” and find that special top gear.
Enough of my rambling…
Great photo of the cat on the fence. I love the intense look on his face.
The hawk is beautiful and the detail you got is wonderful.
I had a Schnauzer many years ago and she was a sweet darling dog, but you are so right they are brave to the point of stupidity.