[yorkiemini]

The goal of any hawk is DINNER! And a lot of their feeding behavior is reflected in how hungry and desperate the are to eat.

The one that attacked Cali literally pounced on her to get his/her talon in. Can't say if he was planning to eat her then or going to carry her off - turns out she was too fast or the hawk miscalculated. They hawk weighed in at just under 5.5 pounds and was a rather common breed.

When Cali got ahold of it's neck right under the beak and started trying to shake her I will tell you that hawk fought like hell - it was a real battle for a little dog. Hawks are very athletic. The expert in my area brought out that we (people) are encroaching on their hunting areas and their behavior have changed accordingly.

I say don't underestimate them because if they perceive an opportunity they can do real damage with those talons. A lot of what they told me was because their talons and beaks harbor some really nasty germs that would cause terrible infections even if the prey weren't killed.

Wish I knew how to post the pictures of those talons, They are very impressive.