I can't wait till I have this one!

bob_n_bernie: I mean EXACTLY like that; and it appears another Dove has been caught by a superior aerialist. I think I may have posted this in the past, but I was washing dishes in the kitchen of my farmhouse one morning, about 10 years ago, or so, and looking out the window and the 18 inches of snow that had fallen overnight. All of a sudden I heard a "thump" on the roof, above my head, and saw a Mourning Dove fall out onto the snow, right in front of the window. It wasn't dead, but it couldn't fly, and was thrashing about in the snow, wings outstretched. I just couldn't figure why the Dove would fly into the roof--the roof was also covered with snow, and it should have been obvious to a (healthy) Dove. So I put my boots on and went outside to see about the Dove, and no sooner had I rounded the corner of the house, than a Peregrine Falcon took of from the roof, where it was perched, and flew toward the woods. It looked back at me a time or two, and seemed to be giving me a dirty look--as though I had spoiled what would have been a just reward for superior hunting skills. And I also realized, that the next time I witnessed such an event, I should wait a bit before sticking my nose in; I probably would have gotten to see EXACTLY what you photographed. And although it may be "gory" to some, it's "Raptor Reality" to me--it's simply survival, for raptors. I agree with gailr--great photo of a most-interesting subject. A beautiful photograph of a beautiful bird is a beautiful thing: one that tells such a story, as the one you posted, is doubly ineresting and rewarding. I have a photo that I took 10 years ago, or so. It's only a silhouette--all in black, because it was too far away, taken with an inferior camera I had in the car, but I still think highly of it. I was driving down the highway, and saw a Sparrow Hawk ascend from a field, toward a power line, with something in its talons. First chance I got, I made a U-turn and went back, while getting my 35 mm camera out of the glove box. I stopped opposite the Hawk, now perched on the wire, and managed to take 4 or 5 pictures, from about 50 or 75 yards away, before it flew off--carrying its prey. Later when I got the pictures developed, one of the pictures was exactly what I had hoped for--a percect silhouette of a Sparrow Hawk sitting on a power line with a mouse, hanging down, in one talon. Of course I would have liked to have a close-up of such a thing--but the Hawk and mouse, clearly silhoutted on the wire, was a rewarding accomplishment, also. Hawks won't always sit still to have their photo taken, particularly when they're aware of your presence. I had the photo enlarged and framed, and keep it on my wall in the country, to show to all those who accuse Sparrow Hawks of eatinng their "chickens", or some other ridiculous assertion.

It does look better from the outside than from the inside. In L.A., it would be a party house, for week-end rentals only - I've been to some in Malibu like that. I could also see it as part of a set for a James Bond movie. I would never live in Arizona, but I do like to visit friends in Tuscon. Utah is beautiful too, but I could never live there either, although I do like to visit.

That is some creative thinking! I'm glad it worked.