Photos Capture Hawk Killing Squirrel in Oak Lawn

Residents said squirrel didn't have a prayer.

Posted Sun, Oct 27, 2013 at 12:18 am CT|Updated Sun, Oct 27, 2013 at 12:31 am CT

It was hawk vs. squirrel in Oak Lawn on Saturday afternoon -- and the squirrel lost.

Oak Lawn residents got to witness a Cooper's hawk making a kill, captured in these photos.

Sue Schmudde was standing in front of her friend, Kassie Knutsen’s house at 91st Street and Mobile Avenue around 3:56 p.m. Saturday.

Suddenly a hawk swooped down from the tree tops with a squirrel caught in its talons.

The hawk put the squirrel in a choke hold. After the squirrel was dead, Schmudde said the hawk ate it.

When the raptor finished his meal, the hawk limped off, possibly injuring his leg during kill, Schmudde noted.

According to the experts at the Cornell Lab of Orinthology, the Cooper's hawk is among the bird world's fastest fliers. Cooper's hawks are masters at tearing through cluttered tree canopies in pursuit of prey.

Have you spotted coyotes, raccoons, possums, rats -- and now hawks -- in your neighborhood? Let us know by leaving a note on our SPEAK OUT board, or by posting your sighting and pics on the Oak Lawn Patch Facebook page, where we love discussing wildlife.

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