The Circle of Life, Perhaps

While making my lunch this afternoon this hawk, perched atop a post in the backyard, caught my eye.  I quickly ran and grabbed the camera hoping to get a pic before she flew off.  What I witnessed next was Mother Nature and the circle of life at play.

 Clearly, something had her undivided attention.  She stayed motionless for what seemed like forever, then all of a sudden she hopped off the post and dropped straight down into the flower bed, talons first.  The noise that followed was the distinct, eerie, cry and screech of a rabbit in distress -

She slowly emerged from behind the chives, clearly a hold of something -

She tried to fly off but her spoils were too heavy and she only managed to move a couple four feet.  Again she tried, another four feet, this time making it atop the pile of leaves and grass clippings -

There she stayed, for close to twenty minutes, feeding on her lapine.  She was eventually driven off, with hare in tow, by a pair of nesting Common Grackles -

Mean while all I had to eat was a can of split pea soup...