[Jon L]

Found this scary red-eyed bird on my fence today.  I still don't have a telephoto lens (boy do I wish I had one today) and only had the Sigma 70mm on camera, so took a shot while I could. 

[Pez]

Wow! What kind of bird does it have in it's clutches! Whatever it caught I'm sure it's dinner by now! Great shot!!

[Elizabeth]

The white bird is BANDED. it is either a pet, or some rare bird?
It is a pigeon, or a Cockatoo.IMO.
(I own birds and collect pictures of birds)
The only all white birds are:
Pigeon or baby cockatoo and many white pigeons have red feet
Sea gull, Egret, goose,etc  all these other white birds are too big

[Jon L]

It is a pigeon, or a Cockatoo.IMO.

This is in the suburbs.  Gotta be a pigeon.
The predator is apparently a Sharp-shinned hawk.  Kind of chilling to see *this* on my lawn...

[Pez]

Haha that is freaking awesome! 

[thunderbrick]

Fantastic!  Don't sell yourself short.  The 70mm IS a telephoto, and was near perfect for this shot.

I wonder if someone's pet cockatoo got out of the house

[Pez]

Agreed and the shot is well composed. Great DoF with the fence very dramatic pose from the bird. Any closer and the shot would miss important detail IMO. 

[nathanm]

Uh oh, looks like someone made a Grand Declaration Of War.

[Steidl Guitars]

Great shot. 

Yep, sharp-shinned, as Jon L said, but then that can't be a pigeon, because they're much bigger than sharpies.  Even Cooper's hawks, which look like sharpies but are bigger, almost never take pigeons because they're just too darned big.

So I'm going to go with someone's pet Cockatoo as lunch! 

[jazzcourier]

Yes, that is a sharp shinned hawk.They are all over the Eastern part of the San Fernando Valley and were brought to the area to keep the pigeon population down at Bob Hope airport in Burbank.They are beautiful,but deadly hunters and often take their prey in the air after a swooping assault.Quite often i will hear a noise like a little "toy squeak" and stop while walking my dog and look to the trees and there they are.I did see one take a dove out on a swoop a few years ago at about a twenty foot distance and that was pretty amazing.Last spring i would put bird seed out by my pool and no less than one hundred doves would join in and feed.Quite a sight to wake up to-50 doves on the telephone wires waiting for the feed.I had to abandon this after the sharp shinned hawks targeted my efforts.It is very upsetting to come out and find feathers.They brace their victims in their  imposing talons in flight and escape with their conquest to the high branches.Spring is almost here and the hawks are out.The sparrows are building their nests in the street signs.Gods speed and safe journeys to our little bird friends.