Nature is a harsh mistress, and she often claims the most seemingly innocent of her charges wantonly and capriciously. Yet, even at her most violent, she sustains beauty and balance in a testament to the interrelated dependance that is the great circle of life.

Falls chilly clime provided a unique occasion to leave the windows in my office open. A rare chance to expand the daily wildlife show with the music of her sounds. As I worked I listened to the backdrop of the hummingbirds' buzz, the Thrashers scream, the Warblers chips and my favorite of sounds - the call of the local covey of scaled quail. Glancing up occasionally from my business, I enjoyed watching the quail as they moved like drunken and off-balance ballerinas, bouncing into and away from one another in a playful chase around the trees, cactus and rose bushes of my front yard. Like keystone cops, they moved in a disarrayed choreography known only to themselves. My viewing entertainment was abruptly interrupted by a piercing cry and sound of tussle from under a whithered agave nestled in the shade of a sprawling rosemary bush. This Rosemary was a principal hiding place for the quail, a shelter whose thick, tangled branches provided the birds cover and protection from any perceived threat. When I looked towards the sound, I found a coopers hawk, standing noble and proud over its prey. I knew at once what that prey was. Closer examination revealed my suspicion; a young scaled quail was pinned to the ground under the hawks razor-sharp talons. As much as I hated to lose one of "my" flock I understood that this was survival in the wild. All God's creatures must eat.

Chronicling the beauty and grace of the high desert in southern Arizona means bearing witness to the good and the bad. This was a rare chance to get a photo of the vanquisher and the vanquished. Both are represented in this image, I hope in a way that gives them both tribute. I am humbled to be their witness and this great lands scribe.
Shoot Date: October 30, 2018
Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Aperture priority ¹⁄₂₀₀₀ sec at f/5.6 ‒ 1 EV
Lens: EF400mm f/2.8L USM @ 400 mm
ISO: 400