Cliff Peterson writes:

"On Saturday, I was at DeKorte Park trying to hone my Bird photography and learn new techniques when I saw this raptor with a rodent in his left claw.

"I had just parked and started to take pictures of some ducks but the ducks kept quacking. I stopped to see what the ducks were quacking at and when I looked over my left shoulder I saw this raptor siting at the lowest tree branch. The raptor just stood there while I was taking photos but then it eventually flew to another tree."

Cliff figures the rodent for a muskrat, and we figure the hawk for a Red-tail.

Thought we'd post this as a food-chain-in-action shot. Please e-mail Jim Wright at jim.wright (at) njmeadowlands.gov if you think this sort of photo is a little too "raw" — we do not want anyone to be grossed out. :- )