While we tout the amazing restaurants, creative cooking techniques and delicious meals and desserts that we prepare from what nature provides, we tend to forget that there are other creatures on the planet that rely on all the same food groups that we do. Except that they partake of these foods as nature prepares them, without alteration!
In this photo, we have a squirrel lounging in a peach tree and devouring a peach. It’s hard to imagine a more delicious treat. Frog legs are a special treat in many areas of the country, and we do them a little differently than the great blue heron in the image at the top of this page. He has captured a frog and is flying back to the far shore of Watson Lake to finish off his tasty and nutritious meal.
In this photo, a western grebe is preparing to flip a small fish and swallow it whole. No time to savor the meal, he just needs to get it down. Maybe he could sauté it in butter and spices? Naw, just pitch it down the hatch. It is natural sushi!
The photo above shows us the no-nonsense approach to food gathering at the local open buffet that is Rainbow Trout Farm up Oak Creek Canyon. This osprey has dropped into the farm and collected a fine rainbow trout and skipped the checkout line. He has a look on his face that clearly challenges anyone to try and stop him. His next stop? A nearby tree to finish his hard-won dinner.
Not to be outdone by birds of prey, in this photo, we have a coyote who went fishing and managed to grab a large carp from Lake Pleasant. Our coyote friend dragged his catch about 100 feet inland and consumed the fish under the cover of a bush to prevent food theft.
Finally, we have a zone-tail hawk flying off with a lizard for his meal. Zone-tailed hawks look much like turkey vultures, which only eat carrion. Thus creatures of the ground feel safe when they fly overhead. Taking advantage of this, zone-tailed hawks fly with vultures and pick off those creatures who don’t fear vultures. Enjoy your finely prepared meals. Our friends in the wild enjoy the same food without the spices and presentation.
