The Food Chain In Nature

A few days ago I came across a deer carcass not far from the road.  It was probably hit by a car and ran into the field before falling...

At this time of year there are many hungry raptors and scavengers looking for a meal...

 

 I decided to check on the carcass at least once a day to see what I might find.  A Red-tailed Hawk was first to find the bounty...

 

A short time later Ravens and Crows appeared...

 

The following day we had powdery light snow that covered the carcass...

 

 

Even as the wind blew a Raven returned to eat...

 

Soon, the real competition began as Turkey Vultures arrived...

 

Although they are much larger than the Ravens they failed to scare away their smaller competitors...

A truce of sorts ensued so that everyone could eat...

The carcass was quickly being reduced to a fraction of its former self...

There was still enough left to entice some to return...

 

Over the four day period that I observed the carcass I frequently found a Bald Eagle feeding on it.  The eagle would not remain long enough for a photograph, but I did get a couple of shots of it departing...

Finally, today it landed only a short distance away and allowed me to snap this photo...

It then flew several hundred yards away and remained there until I departed...

The carcass in the next photo was also scavenged by an eagle...

I was never lucky enough to find an eagle feeding on it, but my friend Larry Ostby took the following photo as well as several others...

To see more of Larry's photos follow this link to his blog: http://loswildcritters.blogspot.com/