I didn’t see the kill. I only saw the assassin feasting on the remains.
In the mid-afternoon I looked out of my bedroom window and saw a Cooper’s Hawk standing over its victim in the garden beside my patio. The predator was barely moving. Around it were lots of tufts of white fur and I wondered what the bird had killed. The rabbits that live near me are nearly all black and the raccoons only come out at night, so that is a mystery.
As I tried to take photos, the hawk became aware of me and hopped away with the carcass of its kill clutched in the talons of one of its feet.
I am left feeling sorrow for the dead prey, resigned to the brutality of nature, curious about the identity of the victim, and impressed by the grandeur of the killer.
After a killing, all I really have are questions.
Snowbird of Paradise 
@snowbirdofparadise.com Look for a tail and feet if other evidence is missing. Might be a squirrel.
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That is a good thought, Ed. It could be a squirrel.
[…] After a Killing […]
Yes, the questions remain.
This was incredibly helpful and easy to understand. I’ve learned a lot.
Thank you, wuthering waves.