We did an easy run in cool drizzly mists at the north branch of the Patuxent Wildlife Refuge this morning. Three miles into the run we came across a bird claw in the road. Its talons, if spread, would have stretched to the size of the palm of my hand. I surmised that a hawk must have become unintentional prey to its dinner.
When we returned to the location after our run with a ranger, he made a different conclusion. The bird's leg - a red shouldered hawk - had been cleanly severed. He reasoned that the only animal that could have done this was a great horned owl. It must have made the kill in the woods and dropped the leg in flight as it bit it off.
My supposed predator wasn't that night.
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