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High drama in the Wal-Mart parking lot



An early morning stop for a CompactFlash card turned into one of those rare
moments where the observer is privileged to watch one of the most intense
predator/prey relationships in the birding world.  While walking between
the car and the door I noted a Cooper's Hawk swoop over the edifice of the
building and pass over me.  Figuring the bird was after one of the
ubiquitous Wal-Mart House Sparrows, I turned to follow the path of the
bird.  To my surprise the Cooper's took aim on one of the wintering
Ring-billed Gulls.  After a brief dogfight the hawk brought the gull down
in the back of the parking lot.  The full contingent of parking lot
dwelling crows immediately mobbed the hawk, who remained calm and held the
newly acquired prey item to the ground.  I did not realize that the
wintering gull population was at risk from much of anything other than
greasy fast food fries.  I was wrong.