Under a European Beech.
A Cooper’s Hawk on the ground surrounded by Northern Flicker feathers. This tree also sheltered two American Woodcocks, unseen by me until they bolted one after the other as I sidled up behind the great bulk of the tree to take these photos.
Probably the closest I’ve ever gotten to one of these skittish raptors. The pale yellow eyes and vertical streaking on the front here tell us this is a young bird. I see such youngsters more than I see mature ones, which have orange-red eyes and reddish horizontal barring across the front.
I left the bird to eat as I looked around, fruitlessly, for the American Woodcock. Ten minutes later I came back and the bird flew up into the beech before carrying this prey to a nearby tree.
Backyard and Beyond 
It’s beautiful when we get to have these experiences in nature. Beautiful capture.
Ah, the camera shy woodcock. I keep reading about it, but never see it.
The blog tease 😉