While working as an onsite biologist with a construction crew that was working in sensitive species habitat, I noticed a small group of workers starting to form in the middle of the work area. A gopher snake had emerged from vegetation and as it was moving across an open area. Suddenly, a desperately hungry first-year Red-tailed Hawk dived in to attack the snake.

A young Red-tailed Hawk tried to subdue a gopher snake

The attack quickly turned into an intense battle. At first, the outcome seemed uncertain with the snake wrapping around one of the hawk’s upper wings. But eventually the young hawk gained the upper hand, repositioned the snake in its talons and dispatched the snake. Without a pause, the hawk began ravenously eating the head end of the snake to about one-third of its length.

All this in the midst of construction workers who were filming the action with their cell phones with the sound of heavy equipment rolling by many yards away. I try to keep my camera within reach, but the moment I saw the snake I happened to have it in hand.

The young Red-tailed Hawk mantling its prey while dispatching the gopher snake

This exciting incident was a good illustration of the challenges a young hawk faces when transitioning from the post-fledging period when it relies on the adult pair for regular meals to becoming a proficient hunter on its own. It’s also a good illustration of how you never know what to expect next – even at work.

Article and photographs by Benjamin Smith, Mission Viejo, California