Kroger Confrontation

Coming out of the Rocky Mount Kroger this morning, I saw something that you don't normally see in a shopping center parking lot. At least not on the shopping carts.

Yep, it's a hawk. I figured this was a good photo op, so I whipped out the little Kodak I usually tote around.  But what was a hawk doing on the shopping carts? I walked closer to get a better shot, but he swooped into the bushes. Camera at the ready, I followed. He blended into the landscaping so well, that it was hard to tell he was there.

After I snapped the above pic, there was a fluttering which my digital camera didn't capture very well.

Then a small bird flew out with the hawk in hot pursuit. As they few upward, the hawk missed my head by about two feet. Unfortunately I can't focus the camera while ducking and screaming, so I missed a great photo op.

The hawk apparently missed the little bird, too. As we pulled out of the parking space, I could see the hawk circling above. I don't know where the bird went, but odds are good, he didn't hang around.

Maybe the little bird read the sign at the parking lot's entrance. It says: "Don't feed the birds: Health Hazard." Feeding yourself to a hawk could certainly be a health hazard. 

Maybe the lot needs a new one that says "Don't photograph the hawk: Health Hazard."

Note: Another bird close encounter at Kroger's (before the "Don't feed the birds" sign was posted) is here: http://peevishpen.blogspot.com/2012/02/two-photo-ops.html. Another animal encounter I had last year is at the bottom of this post; http://peevishpen.blogspot.com/2012/03/morning-after.html. One of these days, I'll learn not to mess with wild critters.

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